Malta's prehistoric temples : conservation issues

Abstract

Malta's prehistoric megalithic temples, which are World Heritage sites, are currently suffering from problems associated with the deterioration of materials as well as structural problems. These problems have been studied for many years. A Scientific Committee set up by the Government of Malta in 2000, identified those elements in the surrounding environment causing deterioration of the site. It was recommended that the sites should be protected by temporary shelters, which would provide additional time for research into the long-term preservation of these sites. The sheltering project should kick off late in 2007. In preparation, Heritage Malta has been since 2005, and is still currently, intensively studying the temples as well as conditions in and around the site. Much of this information has already been fed into the final detailing of the shelters. The data obtained from the environmental monitoring in particular will also constitute important baseline information which will then be used to compare with the altered conditions under the shelters.