In the southern part of the island of Malta there is a unique cave Ghar Dalam: these are several layers, among which are found the bones of the oldest animals and people. For archaeologists, Ghar Dalam is an important find, and for tourists there are fascinating stories and incredible objects, including skeletons of ancient and modern animals. There is also a museum in the cave, which has collected the most valuable exhibits, and other interesting objects: while traveling in Malta, do not forget to take a few hours to visit the attraction - here you will see something that is not available in other countries.
Story
- 1885 - first research by researchers
- 1933 - opening of the cave to the public
- The times of the Second World War - the object was used as a bomb shelter
- The second half of the 20th century - the foundation of the museum in the cave
- 1980 - the abduction of several rare exhibits from the museum’s collection
- 1987 - a detailed study of all layers of the cave by Italian scientists.
Features
On the territory of the cave there are bones of the most ancient animals, extinct 180,000 years ago, as well as relatively modern exhibits: for example, parts of the skeleton of a dwarf deer, extinct only 18,000 years ago. Scientists distinguish 6 main layers of the cave:
- Layer of pets: the remains of farm animals - there are elements of ceramic products, jewelry, household items and human bones
- Limestone layer
- Deer layer: in addition to them you can see the remains of wolves, brown bears, foxes, swans, turtles and mice
- Pebble layer: in ancient times, a river flowed in a cave, the flow of which left a layer of pebbles
- Hippo layer: in addition to the remains of these representatives of the animal world, there are the remains of a giant dormouse and a dwarf elephant
- Clay layer: there are no bones here, only the remains of plants.
Other objects
At the entrance to the cave, tourists are greeted by a museum where the most interesting is collected and skeletons are made of the bones of the animals, wich were found here. On the walls of the cave there are images of ancient arts: drawings of people left in the Pleistocene era - unfortunately, some of the drawings were damaged and destroyed by vandals.
Entrance ticket to Ghar Dalam costs 5 € for adults, 3.5 € for children from 6 to 11 years.
Interesting Facts
- The depth of the cave is 144 meters, but excursions are conducted only on the first 50 meters.
- The widest layer is deer, which is 175 centimeters.
- Among the exhibits stolen in 1980 was a child skull of the Neolithic era.
The object belongs to the caves.
