On Friday, March 20, just as the sun was about to rise, 7,000 viewers experienced the annual Spring Equinox as seen from the Mnajdra Temples, thanks to Heritage Malta’s live stream of the event which was hosted by curator Katya Stroud.

Till now, the number of visitors has increased to 27,000 and counting, as per the national agency’s Facebook page. This event was one of Heritage Malta’s many creative initiatives catering for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which include virtual accessibility to national museums and sites that are temporarily closed. 

“Our initiatives aim to nourish a sense of hope, particularly through the presence of prehistoric sites that have survived adversities over thousands of years,” explained Noel Zammit, Heritage Malta’s CEO.

“More than ever, such moments help us to understand and appreciate the value of sites which have been recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.” 

A collaboration between Heritage Malta and tech giant Google is now giving internet users the unique opportunity to virtually visit several of the agency’s national museums and sites through the online platform Google Arts & Culture at https://artsandculture.google.com/ 

This collaboration brings Malta's cultural sites at par with other major international institutions, including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Van Gogh Museum in Netherlands, the National Gallery of Arts in Washington, Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and many more. Virtual tours will immerse the viewer into the solemn grounds of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, walk you along the unique artefacts exhibited at the National Museums of Archaeology in Malta and Gozo, impress you with the exquisite colourful mosaic floors at the Domvs Romana, or accompany you through the turbulent times of  World War II, at the National War Museum in Fort St Elmo.   

Heritage Malta invites the public to open these virtual doors to amazing discoveries, and to strive to visit them personally once the ongoing troubles are over.