edit
These are selected pictures related to Malta which appear on Portal:Malta.
Photo credit: mxpule
The temple of
Ħaġar Qim excavated for the first time in
1839, dates from the Tarxien phase (c.3200-2500 BC). It stands on a hilltop on the southern edge of the island of Malta overlooking the sea and the islet of
Filfla and lies some two kilometres south-west of the village of
Qrendi. Adjacent to Ħaġar Qim, further towards the cliff face, lies another remarkable temple site,
Mnajdra. The surrounding area, which is typical of
Mediterranean garigue and spectacular in its starkness and isolation, is designated a Heritage Park.
Photo credit: Thoro
The
Mnajdra temple grouping lies on the southern coast of
Malta. It is a complex of three
Neolithic temples surrounding an oval courtyard, the oldest having been built during the Ġgantija phase (
3600-3200 BCE), while the other two date from the early and mid Tarxien phase (
3150-2500 BCE). It has been stated by numerous historians that part of the Mnajdra Temples are the oldest free standing buildings in the world, much older than
Stonehenge.
Photo credit: Azhitsky
St. Agatha's Tower in Malta is similar in style to the Wignacourt Towers, though it was completed in
1649 during the Grand Mastership of Juan de Lascaris-Castellar to a design by Antonio Garsin. It is also known as the Red Tower due to the colour it is painted.
Photo credit: Picman
St Mary's Tower is a fortification on the island of
Comino, an island in the
Malta archipelago. It can readily be seen on the ferry crossing from Malta to
Gozo. The tower was built by the
Knights of Malta in
1618. In the
2002 film,
The Count of Monte Cristo starring
Jim Caviezel, St Mary's Tower was used to represent the prison
Château d'If
Photo credit: Jiří Boreš
Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the
Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of
Malta. In Maltese, the island is called
Għawdex (pronounced áw-desh). Gozo is part of the country of Malta.
Ġgantija (also Ggantia) is a
megalithic temple complex on the
Mediterranean island of
Gozo (part of
Malta). The two temples of Ġgantija on the island of Gozo are notable for their gigantic
Neolithic structures, which were erected during the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-
2500 BC). At more than 5500 years old, the Ġgantija temples are the world's oldest free-standing structures, and the world's oldest religious structures, pre-dating the
Pyramids of Egypt and
Stonehenge. The temples were possibly the site of an Earth Mother Goddess Fertility Cult, with numerous figurines and statues found on site believed to be connected with that cult.
Photo credit: jkb
Clapham Junction is a
prehistoric site on
Malta near the
Dingli Cliffs. It is a complex network of tracks gouged in the rock. Its age and purpose are still a mystery of Maltese history. In general, most archaeologists presume that the site developed about 2000 BC after new settlers came over from
Sicily to start the
Bronze Age in Malta. Beside the megalithic temples it is the most mysterious artefact on Malta. It is reported that the name "Clapham Junction" was given by an Englishman, who later reported that it reminded him of the great and busy railway station
Clapham Junction in London.
Photo credit: jkb
The
Hypogeum in Ħal-Saflieni,
Paola,
Malta, is a subterranean structure excavated c. 2500 B.C. Thought to be originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world. The Hypogeum was depicted on a 2 cents 5 mils stamp issued in the Maltese Islands in
1980 to commemorate the acceptance by
UNESCO of this unique structure in the
World Heritage Site list.
Photo credit: mxpule
Mdina (also called
L-Imdina or
Città Notabile) is the old
capital of
Malta. It is a
medieval town, with narrow quiet streets, situated in the centre of the island. It is also known as the "Silent City". It commands a magnificent view of the Island.
Photo credit: jkb
The city of
Mdina displays an unusual mix of
Norman and
Baroque architecture, including several palaces, most of which serve as private homes.
Photo credit: Alexander Klein
The
Lija Belveder, a beautiful piece of architecture and a landmark in Transfiguration Avenue used be part of the garden of Villa Gourgion. Today the Belveder is the the hands of the Lija Local Council and forms part of the heritage in
Lija.
Photo credit: Azhitsky
St Paul's Bay (
San Pawl il-Baħar in
Maltese) is situated in the north west of the island of
Malta, sixteen kilometres from the capital city
Valletta. Its name refers to the shipwreck of
Saint Paul, as documented in the
Acts of the Apostles, due to the tradition that Saint Paul was
shipwrecked on the isles, named St. Paul's Isles, which are situated in St Paul's Bay. The localities of
Burmarrad,
Qawra,
Buġibba,
Xemxija,
Mselliet, and San Martin as well as part of
Bidnija and Mistra, form part of the
San Pawl il-Baħar Local Council. The area of the locality is 14.47km².
Photo credit: Philip Serracino Inglott
A typical
Maltese farmhouse, called
Razzett in Maltese. Typically the
razzett was one or two storeys. The flat roofs are typical of Maltese housing. They serve many practical purposes, including: a place to hang and dry clothes; a place to spend a summer evening to catch the evening breeze; a place to watch fireworks displays from distant towns and villages; and for farmers, a place to let pumpkins mature. The roofs are also designed to catch rain water and to direct it to wells dug in the soft limestone.
Photo credit: Väsk
The
Mdina Cathedral was designed by the well-known
Maltese architect,
Lorenzo Gafa. By this time he had already designed several churches in
Malta and was at the height of his career. The perfectly proportioned
façade and the dynamic
dome make this the most impressive of all his
churches. The work took just five years to complete and a number of houses were demolished at the same time to make way for a pjazza appropriate to the size and splendour of the church.
Photo credit: Väsk
The old Maltese buses, which were converted ex-
British Armed Forces vehicles, were pressed into
public transport as long ago as the early
1950s. These classic buses have become
tourist attractions among themselves due to their uniqueness, and are depicted on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists. However, these old buses are slowly being replaced by a more modern fleet.
Photo credit: jkb
The old Maltese buses, which were converted ex-
British Armed Forces vehicles, were pressed into
public transport as long ago as the early
1950s. These classic buses have become
tourist attractions among themselves due to their uniqueness, and are depicted on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists. However, these old buses are slowly being replaced by a more modern fleet.
Photo credit: Väsk
The traditional
Maltese balcony, is a
wooden closed balcony projecting from a wall. In the case of
Valletta,
richly decorated balconies also served another purpose. One of the
building regulations laid down by the
knights for their new city was that blocks had to display some form of sculptural ornamentation at the
corners. These ornamentations took three distinct forms. They were either niches with religious images, monumental pilaster and cornices that complimented the architectural style of the elevations or
balconies that wrapped themselves around the block. Such balconies can be observed all around Valletta. Examples of these are the side wooden balconies of the Grand Master's Palace, which were in place by
1741.
Photo credit: jkb
A
luzzu (pronounced
loot-su in Maltese) is a traditional type of
fishing boat from the
Maltese islands. Traditionally, they are brightly painted in shades of yellow, red, green and blue, and the
bow is normally pointed with a pair of eyes. These eyes may be the modern survival of an ancient
Phoenician custom (also practiced by the ancient
Greeks); they are sometimes (and probably inaccurately) referred to as the
Eye of Horus or of
Osiris.
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
The
Grandmaster's Palace is built around two courtyards, one of which is dominated by a statue of
Neptune . There are two entrances in the front and one entrance from Piazza Regina just west of the Bibliotecha. The entrance to the state rooms is in the Neptune Courtyard via a spiral staircase. The ceiling of this entrance was painted by Nicolo Nasini da
Siena in
1724.
Photo credit: Maltesedog
Republic Street is the heart of the Maltese nation. People meet, shop, discuss and visit this pedestrianized street whenever they are in
Valletta. Brimming with shops, cafes, restaurants and museums, this very busy street is usually packed with people going about their daily chores.
Museums and historical attractions, including churches and palaces add to the uniqueness of Republic Street.
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
St John's Co-Cathedral contains eight rich chapels, each of which was dedicated to the patron saint of the eightlangues (or sections) of the Knights. The inside of the Cathedral is in sharp contrast to the facade as the extremely ornate interior decorated in the height of the Baroque period. The inside was largely decorated by
Mattia Preti, the
Calabrian artist and
Knight. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of
St John.
Photo credit: Philip Serracino Inglott
The
Torri Ta' Sopu is situated at the edge of a cliff between San Blas Bay and Dahlet Qorrot Bay. It was built during
1667 by Grand Master Nicholas Cottoner to guard this part of
Gozo from the warships of the
Turks who at that time sailed between Gozo and
Sicily. The tower is unique in its kind in Gozo. It resisted the incursions of the
French troops on 10th June 1798, who landed on this part to capture Gozo.
Photo credit: jkb
The earliest temple of the
Tarxien complex, dates back to around 2,800 BC while the more recent ones date to seven hundred years later. The spiral, as a decorative motif, is found in many places in Europe from the North Atlantic seaboard to the Aegean; the ones at Tarxien, however, might have been invented, or at least developed, independently. Inside these temples has been found what, for that age, was the most colossal stone sculpture then in existence: originally two-and-a-half metres in height, the statue, presumably representing a Mother Goddess, has been broken in half and the top part is missing.
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
The
Rotunda of St Marija Assunta is in Mosta, Malta and was designed by
George Grongnet. Its dome is among the largest in the world, with a diameter of 37 meters (122ft). Grongnet's plans were closely based on the
Pantheon in Rome. The building started in May
1833 and was not finished until the
1930s. The original church was left in place while the Rotunda was built around it allowing the local people to still have a place of worship while the new church was built. On
April 9,
1942, during an afternoon air-raid, a 200kg
Luftwaffe bomb pierced the dome (two others bounced off) and fell among the congregation of more than 300 people, awaiting early evening mass. It did not explode. Its replica is now on display inside the Rotunda.
Photo credit: Memecry
The
Second Siege of Malta was a significant military event in the
Mediterranean Theatre of World War II that occurred between
1940 and
1943 on the island of
Malta. The siege was conducted by
Italian and
German (Axis) military aircraft and ships. Malta was one of the most intensively-bombed areas during war – a total of 3,000 raids occurred during the two years of the siege. The Siege Bell Memorial was constructed to commemorate the victory of the Allied forces in this siege.
Photo credit: William Shewring
Ramla Bay is located at the bottom of a rich and fertile valley on the northern side of the island of
Gozo. The village of
Xaghra, located on one of the hills of Gozo, overlooks this valley. The Bay can also be reached from the village of
Nadur. The terraced walls built by the farmers give the valley an appearance of a quilt when viewed from the high ridges surrounding this valley.
Photo credit: jkb
March 31,
1979 is remembered in the Maltese calendar as
Freedom Day (Maltese:
Jum il-Ħelsien). This is the anniversary of the withdrawal of
British troops and the
Royal Navy from
Malta. The government of the day alleged that the
military base was closed after the
United Kingdom refused to pay the
emphyteusis due to Malta in
1979; however, the contract between
Malta and the
United Kingdom was due for termination on April 1, 1979.
Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
The
Ghar Dalam Cave, one kilometre north of
Birżebbuġa, housed evidence of the earliest human occupation of the
Maltese Islands which dates back approximately 7,400 years. Remains of earlier
Ice Age animals have also been excavated and presented in the nearby museum. The cave had an important role in
World War II, when it was used first as an air-raid shelter before being used as a fuel depot.
Work of art created by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist is a painting finished in
1608 by the Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. It is housed in the
St. John's Co-Cathedral of
Valletta,
Malta. The most important painting that Caravaggio made in Malta, it is one of Caravaggio's most extraordinary creations, and many people consider it is his greatest masterpiece.
Photo credit: MalteseKnight
The Azure Window, a table-like rock over the sea, is one of the most photographed vistas of the Maltese Islands, and its particularly spectacular during winter when waves crash high inside the arch. The Inland Sea, and Dwejra Bay itself, were created millions of years ago when two limestone caves collapsed.
Photo credit: Philip Serracino Inglott
The
Dwejra Watch Tower was built in
1652. Its role was the defence of Dwejra Bay and the guarding of Fungus Rock (were there is a type of fungus which was thought to cure many diseases). During the course of history there were a small number of alterations in the building itself. In both
World Wars it served as an Observation Post. This tower was restored just a few years ago.
