Wind funnelling underneath the Hagar Qim protective shelter

Abstract

It is often said that wind and associated processes induced by it have caused damage to the megalithic temples at Hagar Qim over the years. The aim of this paper is to explore whether wind funnelling is taking place beneath the protective shelter that now covers the Hagar Qim temple complex. A project was set up to test the extent to which the wind speeds beneath the new protective shelter differ from those outside it. Wind speeds were measured inside and outside the shelter in 25 different places and in four directions over a period of four months. The results were mapped using a Geographic Information System facility. It was concluded that wind speed does not increase beneath the protective shelter except at certain points within the temple structure itself.