Ghar Dalam

Ghar Dalam (or Cave of Darkness) is situated in Birzebbuga. It is the oldest cave discovered on this island and has proved very informative on how life began on our island and about our ancestors.




Għar Dalam (pronounced ar dàlam in Maltese and meaning "Cave of Darkness") is a prehistorical cul de sac located on the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta containing the bone remains of animals that were stranded and subsequently became extinct on Malta at the end of the Ice age.

Dwarf elephant, hippopotamus, deer and bear bone deposits found there are of a different age; the hippopotamuses became extinct about 180,000 years ago, whilst the deer species became extinct much later, about 18,000 years ago. It is also here that the earliest evidence of human settlement on Malta, some 7,400 years ago, was discovered.