VALLETTA, Malta - GOZO 2 of 3

Gozo has been inhabited since 5000 BC, when farmers from nearby Sicily crossed the sea to the island. Gozo was an important place for cultural evolution, and during the Neolithic period the Ġgantija temples were built, the world's oldest free-standing structures, as well as the world's oldest religious structures. The temple's name is Maltese for "belonging to the giants", because legend in Maltese and Gozitan folklore says the temples were built by giants (see th giant stones).

Ggantija Temples were first inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980.The Megalithic Temples of Malta bear witness to an exceptional prehistoric culture renowned for its remarkable architectural, artistic and technological achievements.Read more