Mnajdra The University wishes to express its deep concern regarding the systematic damage caused by vandals at the Mnajdra temple complex last Friday.  The wanton destruction of one of Maltaís notable cultural markers is nothing short of an affront to the nation's collective cultural inheritance.

The deliberate destruction of historical and cultural monuments is an issue with which various countries have to contend.  UNESCO World Heritage sites are often targeted for special damage, with war or ideological extremism usually to blame. As signatory party to the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, held in Valletta in 1992, Malta has joined other European States in endorsing the implementation of adequate measures for the physical protection of the archaeological heritage for present and future generations.  The University pledges its support and resources to the implementation of measures that avert indiscriminate acts like those that occurred at the Mnajdra temples last Friday.

19 April 2001