The story of Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni

In 1902 workers cutting cisterns for a new housing development broke through a roof, and at first they tried to hide what they had found. Beneath them lay the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni, a Neolithic underground structure from the Saflieni phase, 3300 to 3000 BC; hypogeum simply means "underground" in Greek.

It is thought to have been a sanctuary and a burial place, and archaeologists have documented the estimated remains of more than 7,000 people. Inside, a niche in the middle chamber, the Oracle Room, was possibly designed to carry chanting or drumming through the whole structure, and parts of the ceiling are painted with red ochre spirals and honeycombs.

The most notable find was the Sleeping Lady, a clay figure thought to represent a mother goddess. After restoration works between 1991 and 2000, Heritage Malta now allows only 80 people a day inside, and the site's microclimate is strictly regulated.