Heritage Malta is organising an open day at Kordin III Temples tomorrow.

Normally open only by appointment, Kordin III Temples are the sole survivors of three prehistoric temple complexes that were constructed on Corradino Heights. The presence of all these structures in this zone attest the importance of the harbour area during the Neolithic Period. The first archaeological studies and excavations of the three Kordin Temple complexes took place between the late 19th century and the early 20th century.

In 1871, part of the Kordin II Temples was destroyed by the Royal Engineers to make way for the ditch of the Corradino Lines. In the 1950s, both Kordin I and Kordin II Temples were virtually untraceable. Whatever had survived was completely demolished in the 1960s when an industrial estate was built on the site.

Luckily, Kordin III Temples’ fate was different from its counterparts. Although the site received a direct hit by a bomb during World War II, it was preserved within a walled enclosure. Consisting of two temples, one having two chambers and the second having three apses, Kordin III has its own particular features.

One of these is the stone-paved forecourt which is the best preserved in all megalithic temples. Another unusual find is the massive multiple quern which was discovered lying across the entrance to the left apse.

Kordin III is located just outside the Corradino Lines, between St Anthony of Padua church and Mcast in Paola. The site will be open tomorrow from 9am to 5pm (last admission at 4.30pm). There will be guided tours at 10.30am and 3.30pm in English and at noon in Maltese. For more information visit www.heritagemalta.org.