Għajnsielem

36.0260714.2892Koordinaten: 36 ° 2 ' N, 14 ° 17' O

Għajnsielem is a municipality in the southeastern part of the Maltese island of Gozo. It has 2 670 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2010).

Part of this municipality is also the main port of Gozo, Mgarr, from where ferries to the main island of Malta (not to be confused with the town of Mgarr on the main island of Malta). The islands of Comino and Cominotto ( paints: Kemmuna, Kemmunett ) in the strait between the islands of Malta and Gozo are also part of the municipal territory.

Archaeological finds

Għajnsielem is a settlement site of the Maltese Temple Culture on the island of Gozo. It lies west of the junction of the main roads Triq il - Qala and Triq l - Imġarr leading from Mgarr and Fort Chambray coming over Għajnsielem towards Xewkija. In 1988 here succeeded in spectacular find a differentiated settlement architecture. The excavators found two building structures that consist of sunken rocks in the upcoming wells. The circumferential, but not completely preserved rocky ridges of an oval and a round structure were still wearing the remains of the original masonry of clay bricks. Between the two, the remains of a Lehmziegelpfeilers found.

The structures belong to the Ġgantija phase of the temple culture, as the construction of stone temples was already fully developed. The adobe buildings of Għajnsielem show as those of Skorba the relationship between this, the purpose of which is unknown architecture and temple architecture ( kurvierte floor plans, waiver of foundations - instead fitting-out of rock wells as building, floors of Torba ( verschlämmte mass ) with small stony relining ).

The Oval

The larger, oval structure with 8 m long and 5 m wide is dug about 0.4 m into the rock, the circumferential ridge is about 0.3 m wide. The trough was lined with stone chippings, wearing three layers Torbaböden. In the center of the structure was a 0.3 m -preserved up to the amount remaining pillars of mud brick, which could have supported an original roof structure in the center.

It is conceivable that the oval structure as comparable in Skorba had an entrance on the western broadside. The architectural miniature from Ta ' Hagrat shows that Ovalbauten existed not only in mud-brick, but also in megalithic construction.

The circle

The smaller, circular structure of about 2.5 m diameter has five superimposed Torbaböden which show traces of continuous repairs.

Between the two was an official appointed in a rock depression pillars rest of adobe. At the center of its base stood a with red ocher painted stone cone ( rounded tip, height approx 6 cm). This object is to be interpreted as sacrosanct.

Others

The parish church of Għajnsielem you can already see from the main island of Malta. It was built in the 20th century in the Gothic Revival style. The former church had become too small for the growing community population.

Community partnership

Exist between Għajnsielem and the Italian municipality in the province of Rome Tolfa the Lazio region since 2002 partnership relations.