Prehistoric Sites of Malta – Ta' Ħaġrat

Prehistoric temple of Ta' Ħaġrat. The upper right edge bears the inscriptions 'TA' ĦAĠRAT', 'TEMPLES' and the years '3600-3000 BC'. The lower left edge shows the name of the issuing country 'MALTA' and, below it, the year of issue '2019'.

This 2 euro commemorative coin exists in 3 variants. Those in the brilliant uncirculated coincard were struck in Pessac and carry the mint mark of the minting facility along with that of mint master Yves Sampo (MT-19 G2). The coins in the brilliant uncirculated coin set feature an 'F' in the lower star (MT-19 G3). The coins from rolls carry no mint mark (MT-19 G1).

Ta' Ħaġrat is one of the oldest surviving temple complexes in the world, located in northwestern Malta near the town of Mġarr. The site was built between roughly 3600 and 3000 BC, during the so-called Ġgantija phase, a period in which the Maltese islands produced a distinct megalithic culture markedly different from its contemporaries elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Ta' Ħaġrat consists of two temples, the larger of which is one of the best-preserved prehistoric sacred structures in Malta. Since 1992, the site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage property together with six other megalithic temples of Malta, grouped under the collective title "Megalithic Temples of Malta".

For Malta, protecting and raising international awareness of these prehistoric sites carries particular cultural-political significance. With their temples, the islands possess a cultural heritage that predates Greek or Roman settlement by a wide margin, giving Maltese history an independent, millennia-old foundation. As part of its series on the prehistoric sites of Malta, the country dedicated a 2-euro commemorative coin to the Ta' Ħaġrat temple complex in 2019 — one instalment in a multi-part series that systematically presents the island state's megalithic heritage and forms a coherent documentation for the "Prehistoric Sites of Malta" coin theme.