Paola means “New Town” and is in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 8000 people.
It is renowned for the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, its large parish church (the biggest church in the Maltese Islands), its square with shopping centres, the Good Friday procession, Mariam Al-Batool Mosque, the only mosque in Malta, as well as an Islamic Cultural Centre. The town is a commercial centre in the Southern Harbour area of Malta, about 5 km from the capital Valletta.
Several megalithic remains have been found within the locality. The Hypogeum has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a large complex of rooms hewn out of the limestone about 11 metres (36 ft) below the surface. It appears to have been used as a burial site, and also as a temple. The Kordin Temples were located on a high plain that overlooks the Grand Harbour but only Kordin III is the only temple on still in existence today.
