The Maltese village of Tarxien lies inland in the southeast of the island and is famed worldwide for its ancient Tarxien Temples, the oldest of which dates to around 2,800 BC. The temples are crowded with free-standing and relief carved stone images of animals, particularly goats and pigs, with a further number of images representing a mother goddess and thought to represent fertility. The entire archaeological site is listed by UNESCO in conjunction with Malta's other megalithic sites. Closer to our own time are the pretty churches and tiny chapels dating from the Middle Ages that are set close to the old heart of the village. Tarxien hotels are represented by an attractive hostel and several bed and breakfasts, although this part of Malta gets so searingly hot in summer that many of the village's 7,000 residents leave for the coastal areas, returning when the cooler autumn weather kicks in.

other spellings: tarxienhotels, otel tarxiem, tarxine hotell, tarxein hote, tarixen hotes, taxrien hotle