MEDITERRANEAN - MALTA : CRADLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
by Ursula & Eldrid Retief



You can’t help feeling , as you stroll past the myriad of colorful boats on the waterfront of Marsaxlokk, a typical Maltese fishing village, that you’re being watched.

And you are - by an eye carved and painted on the prow of the traditional Luzzu boats as a symbol of protection.

You don’t need anyone to keep an eye on you when you’re in Malta. We happened to arrive after midnight on an Air Malta flight from London. As he took us to our hotel, our driver suggested we go for a stroll along Sliema’s magnificent 7.7km-long sea-front promenade. At this time of night? "Sure. You go walk. Safe. No worries. Nobody say nothing to you.:

So we did - and he was right.

Well, what do you expect from a warm, hospitable island people with a civilization stretching back 7,000 years?

Malta is everything you could ever wish of the Mediterranean. Visitors see it as an island of sunshine and history. And with good reason. There’s plenty of both. The tapestry of its life is so filled with historical interest that it confronts you on every corner, in every street. Napoleon commanded the French Army which invaded Malta in 1798 and briefly lived in a house in Merchant Street in Valletta which is now the Foreign Office. As we stood there looking up at the plaque recounting this, a nearby tourist said: "Look. Napoleon lived here for a few days".

"Look", said his wife, glancing down the street, "There’s a market."

That’s the beauty of the Maltese Islands. There’s something for everyone.

Down through the centuries, Malta’s strategic natural harbors attracted a series of successive trading and maritime civilizations, from the Phoenicians down to the British who turned Valletta into the center of the Islands.

Valletta was built by the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem after the epic siege of 1565. Within its limited boundaries are reflected some of Malta’s rich heritage and archaeology, history, architecture, art and culture.

The Grand Harbor, a focal point during the Great Siege and World War II, separates the high peninsula of Valletta from The Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea, the old fortified towns. The fortifications are indicative of the many who coveted Malta over the years. For an unrivaled view of this beautiful harbor go to the Upper Barrakta Gardens.

An attraction that brings to life some of the most dramatic moments in Malta’s checkered history is the Mediterranean’s most technologically advanced visitor attraction in the center of Valletta. The Great Siege of Malta and the Knights of St. John tells the story of the Knights of Malta using state-of-the-art technology.

It is in the Café Premier Complex, bringing to life the Café Premier, Valletta’s oldest and most renowned café. On the 45 minute walk-through, lighting, video, sound and special effects bring to life historic events and characters as a gripping, sensory experience. Theatrical reenactments feature 12th Century mounted soldiers in full armor, scenes of firing canons and hand-to-hand combats.

The developments includes a cafeteria, extending onto one of the most scenically beautiful squares in Europe.

Nearby, the austere façade of St. John’s Co-Cathedral (construction began in 1573) gives no indication of its sumptuous baroque interior, filled with frescoes and numerous treasure-filled chapels. Here you tread over the colored marble tombstones of the many dignitaries of the Order buried here.

Valletta’s major attractions are all within touching distance of each other. The Grand Masters’ Palace (built between 1570 and 1580) is now the official residence of the President as well as the seat of the House of Representatives. Its Neptune Courtyard is splendid; so is its Tapestry Chamber where you can see the priceless Gobelin tapestries. The Armory gives visitors a concentrated view of the technical achievements and developments of weapons up to the 18th century.

The National Museum of Archaeology is housed in the late-16th Century Auberge de Provençe. Among its collection of archaeological remains from Malta's prehistorical temples, classed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, is the famous "Sleeping Lady" found in the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.

Malta and Gozo seem to have been sacred islands even in prehistoric times. Many huge megalithic temples, some well over 5,000 years old, appear to have been places of pilgrimage. The Hypogeum (circa 2,400 BC) is the outstanding example, a stunning underground labyrinth of burial chambers with an echo oracle room. It is estimated that about 7,000 corpses were interred here.

A short walk in Tarxien from the Hypogeum are the Megalithic Temples, a magnificent collection of prehistoric temples built over several centuries from 2400 to around 1800 BC.

In the center of the island is Mdina, The Silent City, the ancient capital of Malta, a typical mediaeval town which commands a magnificent view of the island. It is one of the few remaining mediaeval fortified cities in Europe. Although it is fully inhabited, it earns its name from the silence which engulfs it.

Malta has many attractions but the warmth of its people is probably it’s biggest enticement.

The Apostle Paul was the first long-stay winter visitor to Malta when he was shipwrecked there and the hospitality shown him by the locals is well recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

Two thousand years later Maltese hospitality remains as warm and unaffected as it was then.


Photo : courtesy Malta Tourism Authority
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