Skorba Temples

Archaeological Site

Archaeological Site · Mellieħa, Malta 35.9208°N 14.3778°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Skorba Temples

Time needed

1.5 to 2 hoursBoth sites, with the walk

Cost

TicketedCombo with Ta' Ħaġrat

Season

Avoid July, AugustSummer sun tops 30 °C

Access

Car easiestPark on a nearby road

Opening hours

What are the Skorba Temples opening hours?

Heritage Malta publishes them on its Opening Hours page rather than on the Skorba page itself, and its phone number for the site is 2158 0590.

Combined ticket

Can you buy a combined Skorba and Ta' Ħaġrat ticket?

Yes. Heritage Malta sells a Skorba and Ta' Ħaġrat combo ticket through the Book now link on its Skorba page, and one ticket is valid for both temple sites.

From Mġarr

How do you get to Skorba Temples from Mġarr?

The site is on Triq Sant' Anna, on the edge of Mġarr, and the closest bus stop is five minutes away on foot. Visitor guides suggest a bus to Mġarr, then a walk or a short taxi ride.

The temples at Skorba, on the edge of Mġarr, stand beside traces of the earliest known houses in Malta, among the oldest structures on the Maltese Islands.

What makes it special

Skorba is a pair of megalithic temples in Żebbiegħ, a hamlet on the outskirts of Mġarr. The site is part of the Megalithic Temples of Malta World Heritage listing.

One temple belongs to the earlier Ġgantija phase and the other to the later Tarxien phase, so a single small plot holds two stages of Maltese temple building.

Excavations here uncovered several domestic huts right beside the temples. The temple builders themselves lived in them, so the site shows Neolithic home life as well as the ritual of the temples.

Pottery found in the village deposits around the temples gave its name to two phases of Maltese prehistory, Grey Skorba and Red Skorba.

Visiting

Skorba's entrance passage keeps its paving slabs, with their libation holes. Beyond it lies the floor of a three-apse temple, laid in torba, a cement-like material.

Around that floor stand the stone uprights, one of them 3.4 m high. Low foundation stones mark out the rest of the plan.

West of the first entrance runs an 11 m straight wall. Charcoal from its base was carbon-dated to 4850 BC.

Then look for the hut remains next to the temples, and the two oval Red Skorba buildings in the eastern part of the site.

Tips

The hut remains are low and hard to read as buildings, so study the plan first. The gallery and the virtual experience on Heritage Malta's Skorba page show the layout before you go.

Ta' Ħaġrat Temples is about 1 km away. Walk on there after Skorba and see the two on one outing.