Ghar Dalam

 The Ice Age had a great impact on Malta; the climate then was milder and much wetter, almost tropical and the enormous amount of water from heavy rainfalls was responsible for the landscape we know and love today.

The prevailing conditions caused underground caverns and caves to be hollowed out and, I bet you’re ahead of me already here, one of them was Ghar Dalam, which is considered to be one of the oldest caves in the Maltese Islands.

Translated as ‘spicy lamb curry’ – (just kidding!) – it means 'Cave of Darkness' and you’ll find this prehistoric site on the outskirts of Birżebbuġa. It’s the genuine article as it was also found to contain the bones of animals that became extinct in Malta at the end of the Ice Age.

Also discovered here were dwarf elephant, hippopotamus, deer and bear bone deposits of a different age - the hippopotamus became extinct here about 180,000 years ago, while the deer became extinct much later - about 18,000 years ago. As these are all animals that can be found elsewhere in Europe this is seen as proof that Malta was once connected to the European mainland rather than being part of Africa.

It was also in Ghar Dalam that the earliest evidence of human settlement on Malta was discovered. The cave was first scientifically investigated in 1885 but was not opened to the public until 1933. During World War II, Ghar Dalam served as an air raid shelter and later as a fuel storage depot.

In 1987, a team of Italian archaeologists discovered Palaeolithic cave art depicting human hands and several animal designs. The site today consists of the cave and a museum. The cave is around 144metres deep but only the first 50m are accessible to visitors. A museum, which exhibits a remarkable wealth of finds from animal bones to human artefacts, is found at the entrance.

The Għar Dalam Cave and Museum is in the southeast corner of the island and is operated by Heritage Malta. It’s open every day from 9am to 5pm but is closed on the 24th, 25th and 31st December,  1st January and Good Friday. If you’re on public transport then bus number 82 goes to Birżebbuġa from the main hub in Valletta.

Tickets cost €5 and discounts are available for children, students and OAPs. There may be a separate charge for temporary or special exhibitions. Poppadoms and pickles are not included!