Tarxien

The town of prehistoric temples and fertility statues

Hal Tarxien is located in the southern part of Malta. It is quite a small town, with a population of around 7,800 inhabitants. The name of Tarxien is thought to have originated from the word “Tirix”, which means a large stone, similar to those that can be found in the Tarxien Neolithic Temples in the village. The motto of Tarxien is "Tyrii Genure Coloni" meaning "The Phoenicians created me".

Both the etymology and the motto suggest a very long history to the town, and in fact, the area of Tarxien has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The oldest temple to be found in Tarxien is said to date back to about 2800BC. Tarxien temples house several statues and reliefs of animals, including goats and pigs. The most notable statues are about 2.5 metres in height, representing Mother Goddess or more specifically fertility.

Hal Tarxien was one of the earliest towns to become a parish, exactly in 1592. The parish church is dedicated to the Annunciation of Our Lady, and the Ħal Tarxien celebrate the feast  of the Annunciation annually in the end of May or beginning of June. As the other festas in Malta, the feast of Tarxien is celebrated with religious functions and liturgical services inside the parish church, and around the town with brass band marches, fireworks, street decorations and several nougat stalls. 

The second largest church in Tarxien is dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, also known as "Ta' l-Erwieħ" or "of the souls" as it is surrounded by an old cemetery. As this church is located next to the Neolithic Temples, it is visited by many tourists as a number of prehistoric remains were also found in the cemetery.