Dingli Cliffs Malta | Solar Observatories

Dingli Cliffs Malta has these strange shaped hills that are solar observatories built by the Maltese Temple Builders.

The 2 smaller hills are aligned to track the setting sun behind the long hill, the long hill is similar to the 13 Towers of Chankillo, Peru. Notice how the top of the long hill has been modified and built up to have a long flat top covered by boulders (markers).

Man made (Temple Builders) construction or natural?

These hills have been shaped by man, the terracing is the most obvious instant example but what about the tops of the hills? The elongated hill by the sea has a top line of boulders that has been raised up, to stand up and out against the sky line. The sun sets behind this hill top when viewed from the other 2 rounder hills behind it.

The tops of one of the smaller hills has been shaped flat, so why not do the same to this hill? Also not that the boulders are concentrated on line on the top. Why are they still there? The ramped sides to the rock line suggests this has been a deliberate man made construction. There are even boulders that rise up against the skyline, would these be the marker stones that help the people who built these solar observatories to track the movement of the sun during the year?

The 13 towers of Chankillo Solar Observatories in Peru has a similar sloping top as the possible solar obersvatories in Malta. The thirteen towers of Chankillo in Peru is a sunrise solar observatory while the one at Dingli cliffs Malta is a sunset observatory.

Torba - Malta's concrete and construction

Torba is Malta's name for ancient concrete used to help in the building and construction of its Temples. Its a limestone and pebbles/stones based concrete, created from limestone cement, dust, ash, water and aggregates (stones, pebbles, smashed rocks, gravel). Torba (concrete) was used to build the Temples and by other ancient cultures who used their own variations of limestone concrete, from the Egyptians to the Romans.

Although used in the Maltese Temples including Ggantija (Gozo) and Tarxien Complex it is difficult to see as either not much left or its covered over. Also Torba is so smooth you dont know if you are looking at normal rock or Torba concrete. But on the Solar Observatory hilltop you can find it attaching one oblong plinth stone to a much larger stone. Either attaching it or perhaps the remains of a block of it? Did the Temple Builders use it to form large "walls" of it?

The idea of ancient cultures building with concrete seems to have been brought to the worlds attention by Dr Joseph Davidovits. His observation of concrete at the Pyramids of Giza led him to call them agglomerated (geopolymer) stone.

Is the marker needle or rock piller at the Gnejna Bay solar observatory made using Torba and boulders? I got close to it but I will have to climb it to get a closer look.

Location, location, location of the sun and observatories

Malta's hill top solar observatories are located near Dingli cliffs in a massive semi circular 'valley'. cliffs surround it and on you can find the Mtahleb Chapel and the Ta Baldu cart ruts on the land beside the cliffs.

These 3 hills are very unique in Malta, there is only one other hill I have found that is similar. That is also on the west side of the island of Malta and may also be a solar observatory.

Is it just a natural fluke that all the conditions for a solar observatory are found here? The hills aligned near each other and the sun setting behind the elongated hill top?

Stories of bygone Malta

The farmer who owns the land where these Maltese solar observatories are located is a link to the old Malta, especially in this valley around the Mtahleb and Dingli Cliffs area. Having been brought up when the old generation were still alive.

He remembers that there use to be a water channel, dug by hand from the Mtahleb Chapel, high on the cliffs, that went down to the sea cliffs. Used to irrigate the fields down there. There is a source of water at the Mtahleb Chapel, like most churches built on older sacred sites which were there for a reason.

He also mentioned of an old farmer who did not have a watch but use to tell the time of day by the postion of the sun in the sky and the shadows. Malta is a very sunny country so most of the time that was OK. He would work for the old farmer in the mornings but when it was cloudy he would be able to leave 30 minutes or an hour early as he was the only one with a watch!

In the valley you will also find a number of small abandoned houses, where whole families use to live. These have long been empty since the families emigrated to Australia.

** Dingli Cliffs Malta | solar observatories home page
** Dingli Cliffs Malta | Standing Stones, markers and aveneues
** Gnejna Bay Malta | horizon astronomy solar observatory
** Dingli Cliffs Malta | solar observatories EYE photographs
** Forum DIScussion on these Malta Solar Observatories

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