A small island country has some of the oldest stone temples in the world. The Island’s rocky slopes, beautiful medieval architecture that refuses to be pushed aside by high rising glass skyscrapers and residential buildings, subterranean temples and tombs, cliffs, stony beaches and natural sea made wonders.
But more then all of the above it was the knights of Saint John of Jerusalem that have left their mark on the island full of stone keeps and Christianity with its amazing influence on the development of the island, the development of Christianity in Europe and everyday life in general.
The island in the middle of the Mediterranean connects North Africa with Europe and has always attracted various civilizations and merchants to take control of it either as a merchant or military outpost. The first to colonize Malta were Phoenicians at about 1000 B.C. The Maltese are said to be their descendents. After the Phoenicians there were the Cartesians, next the Romans, Byzantines, and Arabs right until 1090, when the Normans have concurred the island and were followed by numerous other invading armies until in 1530 Charles V of Spain gave it to the knight order, which has been chased from Rhodes in the time of the crusade wars. The knights left the most visible seal on the development of Malta, its population and religion.
The order of St. John of Jerusalem was funded in the time of the Holy Crusades in the 11th and 12th century as the defender of Christianity from Arabian conquering armies and as a charitable organization taking care of the poor. They started off as a medical institution in Jerusalem, to take care of the wounded, poor and ill. Later on as the Arabian army attacked Jerusalem they took to arms and became defenders of the holy land and Christianity. After the Arab invasion the knights retreated to Cyprus and from there to Rhodes, where they hoped to be able to retake control of Jerusalem, but were instead pushed further on to Malta. Only the sons of rich aristocratic European families were able to join the order and they had to prove their lineage for some generations back. The order consisted of eight different nationalities. Their symbol and flag are the white innocent cross on the red background (representing bad times tarnished by blood).
The order was later chased off by Napoleon’s army to Russia and Italy, but has reestablished itself in the 19th and 20th century under the name of Sovereign Military order of Malta, as a charitable and religious organization. This is currently the only internationally acclaimed country with no territory, but has its own coins, postal stamps, and press. It has diplomatic relationships with over 80 countries and has its own embassy on Malta.
When the knights first came to Malta they settled in Vittorosa and have made a heavy fortification there, to protect the island from Turkish attacks. Apart from the impressive fortification the city also has the first hospital on Malta, a monument of freedom erected in the time of the departure of the last British soldier from the island (the British were the last colonists on the island), some churches, the harbor and several old houses along the narrow streets. Vittorisia is one of the twin cities of Vittorosia-Sengela-Cospicua, and the best kept one of them, for the other two were devastated by Germans during the Second World War. It was the time when Malta has suffered the first air raids and suffered the irreversible damage.
The fortification of Vittorosie was ordered by Jean Parisot de la Vallette in the 16th century as a defense against a possible Turkish attack. It’s so monumental you need two hours to walk around it. Inside the walls is the first planned city in Europe – La Valletta. The city has kept its original appearance to the modern age. The houses are decorated with balconies and ornamented windows that present a rich oriental heritage. Today La Valletta is the capital of Malta and it is the home of the most impressive cathedral on the island, the church of St. John. Despite its unattractive exterior it holds the artistic riches of whole of the Malta. It was built for the religious needs of the order and has (among other things) eight chapels, for each order separately.
In the city Moste the church of Santa Maria has the third largest dome in Europe. During WWII a German plane dropped a bomb that pierced the dome and a part of the church wall, but has fallen to the ground without exploding. Many Maltese thought this to be the sign of god’s protection and support.
It was the St. Paul who first brought Christianity to Malta, by curing people. He lived in the ancient capital of Medina, that has kept the medieval appearance in its most original form, with low buildings, central square with a cathedral and a massive fortification. Immediately next to the town are the underground caves, where the dead were burned and other religious activities were carried out. The Jews were the first who started burning their dead, the Christians followed it later.
The might Turkish army that has conquered the whole of the Mediterranean area (except for Malta), raised a fleet to carry an invading force of 40.000 soldiers and departed for the bay of St. Paul on Malta. Here they were met with the opposition of the knights, numbered less then 8.000 and fiercely fought and killed some 30.000 Turkish invaders. The invading survivers returned to Turkey never to attack Malta again. Only 600 defenders capable to fight have survived the attack, which was of extreme importance to prevent the spread of Islam in Europe.
The thing that catches a tourist’s eye are the brightly colored fishing boats Iuzzu, painted in blue, red, green and yellow. They have two eyes (the eyes of Osiris) up front, to protect the fishers from the evil spirits and other problems, but although they have this pre-Christian symbol, most ships are named after Christian saints.
The biggest attraction of Malta are the ancient stone temples: Hal Tarxiena, Hager Quima, Mnajdre and Hal Safliena, dating back some 60 centuries, making tem older then the English Stonehenge. The builders and the meaning of the structures are not fully cleared, for the people who built them vanished. The temple at Hagar Quimu is constructed so that the first sun rays shine on the altar in the middle twice a year, on both solstices. The temple at Mnajdri is made of the heaviest stone weighing some 20 tons each, making it almost ten times heavier then the stone blocks of the great pyramid.
Sliema and St. Julian are two coastal towns connected with a coastal promenade and are known for the numerous hotels, international schools of English language and most of all the night life (especially St. Julian). Both times host the largest number of tourists on the island. Other attractions also feature the Popeye village, the fishing village of Marsakala, Dingi cliffs and some quite interesting bays and beaches.
Malta consists of three larger islands Malta, Gozo and Comino. Gozo is the second largest and above all different from Malta. Only 10% of the entire population lives here and all are Christians, while on Malta there are some 10% Muslims. Gozo is more natural and the life is paced slower, the coast is quieter, the nature is greener and the traffic is much lighter. Unlike Malta it isn’t flooded with hotels and apartment buildings. The attractions of Gozo are the Azure window and the inner sea, both being a result of erosion and sea activities. Near the Azure eye, the marvelous limestone structure created by the sea, lies the “Fungus” stone, where the knights raised special medicinal herbs. The access to it was forbidden with the penalty of death. A further attraction is the cave of Calypso, where the nymph held Odysseus captive for seven years. The largest town of the island has a magnificent fortress of Rabat with seven museums and with a view over the entire island. Once the fortress could hold all the island population within its walls to shelter them. The Ggantija temples are also made of stone and are among the oldest ones in the world.
Is the third largest and my personal favorite island. At first you see the blue lagoon with its splendid sea color that keeps attracting filmmakers to it. The lagoon itself is full of daytime tourists but just a few steps away begins the full indigenous nativity of the island. The island only has a single hotel, a chapel and a watchtower, that used to be a lighthouse. There are only about eight people residing on the island, four of them are policemen. On the island they used to raise herbs on plantations and the island had a larger population back then. The island differs from the other two by the fact is has no roads and is virtually uninhabited. Apart from natural caves the sea has carved into the rocks of the island, a visitor may also get to see the dolphins playing off the coast of the island.
Malta hasn’t got any of its own culinary tradition, but its worth to try a rabbit boiled in white wine and some pastries. The biggest influence was the Italian cuisine, so the specialties mostly consist of Mediterranean classics, such as the dried tomatoes, caper, fresh cheese and olives. The Kinnie is the most renounced beverage, resembling Coca Cola, mixed with orange juice and herbs. The best known spirited drink is a sort of liquor, either from cactus, herbs or honey. The island also offers a great selection of local wines.
Malta has a lot to offer, mostly its rich in history, beautiful in architecture and has a crystal clear sea, with the completely used coastline and as an addition, nature also contributed with unique structures and can fully charm every single tourist, no mater what his expectations are.
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