Ghar Dalam Cave

Għar Dalam Cave is an ancient cave embracing Paleolithic art & a museum with Ice Age artifacts & human remains. It is a 144 m-long narrow blind cave, snuggled in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa in Malta. It features bone remains of animals that subsequently became extinct on Malta.

The bone deposits of bears, dwarf elephants, hippopotami, deer, and giant swans belong to varied ages. It also has remains of animals that became extinct about 10,000 years ago. Besides, the cave served as an air-raid shelter during World War II. Għar Dalam is also famed for its Gardens that feature local plants and trees. The site is a part of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites. Għar Dalam Cave is the oldest prehistoric site in Malta, where the earliest proof of human settlement was discovered. The word Għar Dalam means Cave of Darkness and was first investigated in 1865 for its Neolithic remains. The ancient animal bones excavated from the Għar Dalam cave are exhibited in rows at Joseph Baldacchino’s Hall.