Cultural Activities
Mdina, Citta Vecchia, or Citta Notabile, is the old capital city of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city's walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta's Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly called the "Silent City" by natives and visitors alike. The town is still confined within its walls, and has a population of less than three hundred, but it is contiguous with the village of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic word for suburb.
Valletta is the capital city of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt (English: The City) in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern part of the island of Malta. Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Knights of St. John. The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city. The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.
The city is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. The official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta - The Most Humble City of Valletta, or Citta Umilissima in Italian. The bastions, curtains and ravelins along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens and churches led the ruling houses of Europe to give the city its nickname Superbissima - 'Most Proud'.
Ta' Qali is a village in Malta, a wide open space in the middle of Malta containing the national stadium, Ta' Qali National Park and a national vegetable market which is locally known as the Pitkalija.
Shortly before World War II, the area was used to build a military aerodrome and a station for the RAF. During this time the area served as an airfield but has since been transformed into a recreational area. The area is small in scale but considered by some in Malta as an ideal place to go for a picnic and spend weekend afternoons. The National Park also includes an amphitheatre. A number of international concerts were staged at the Park, including artists as diverse as Status Quo, Deep Purple, Fish, Iron Maiden, Demis Roussos, Alannah Myles, Bonnie Tyler and many others. International artists such as Riccardo Fogli have also planted their own trees in the Park.
Ta' Qali still fulfils part of its former role as an air field but the only aircraft that take off from the greatly diminished landing strip are model aircraft, whose owners make part of a club located there. Today, many of the military huts and buildings have been converted into workshops where Maltese craftsmen produce their handwork, and Ta' Qali Crafts Village has become an important tourist attraction. There is also the Malta Aviation museum where one can find different types of aircraft related to Maltese aero history. Before being converted to a recreational park the air strip was used in the first car races ever held by the Maltese, nowadays the Assocjazzjoni Sport Muturi has its offroad tracks where it organizes its annual motorsport championship.
Mosta (or Il-Mosta) is a town situated in the middle of the island of Malta, to the north-west of Valletta. Large volumes of traffic pass through Constitution Street, one of Mosta's main streets which connects the South to the North. Mosta celebrates the feast of Saint Mary the Assumption on the 15th August. This is a very popular feast among the Mostin and tourists alike. Mosta has many legends such as the Mosta Bride (L-Gharusa tal-Mosta) and a lot of historical places such as the Victoria Lines and Medieval chapels. The main attraction in Mosta is the Rotunda - a huge round church with the third largest unsupported dome in the world.
Rabat (or Ir-Rabat) is a village just outside Mdina, Malta. The name of the village is derived from the Semitic word for 'suburb', as it was the suburb of the old capital Mdina. Half of the present-day village core also formed part of the Roman city of Melita, before the latter was resized during the Fatimid occupation. The population of Rabat is 11,462 (Nov 2005). Parts of the film Munich and Black Eagle were shot in Rabat.
St. Paul's Island's (also referred to as Selmunett) is a flat islet lying in St. Paul's Bay on the island of Malta. St. Paul's Island is sometimes split into two islands when the sea is rough. It has been uninhabited since the sole farmer abandoned his tiny dwelling and fields decades ago.
The Acts of the Apostles tell the story of how St Paul was shipwrecked in Malta while on his way to Rome to face charges. Traditionally, St Paul's Bay and, specifically, St Paul's Island are identified as the location for this shipwreck. A prominent statue of the saint, erected in 1845, stands on the island.
The Megalithic Temples of Malta are a series of prehistoric monuments in the Maltese archipelago. Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in a process of cultural evolution. This led to the building of several temples of the Ggantija phase (3600-3000 BC) and culminated in the large Tarxien temple complex, which remained in use until 2500 BC. After this date, the temple building culture disappeared.
The Ggantija temples were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. In 1992, the UNESCO Committee further extended the existing listing to include five other megalithic temple sites. These are Hagar Qim, L-Imnajdra, Ta' Hagrat, Ta' Skorba and Tarxien. Heritage Malta today protects the sites, while ownership of the surrounding lands varies site-by-site. They are the oldest free-standing structures on Earth.
Zurrieq is one of the oldest towns in Malta and is situated in the South of Malta. The island of Filfla is administratively a part of the town. Zurrieq is situated six point eight kilometres (6.8 km ) in a direct line from the City of Valletta, and features a wide collection of ruins and remains dating back to the Bronze and Punic times, through the Roman, Knights and British eras. Structures dating back to the 15th and 16th century are scattered throughout the village.
Marsaxlokk is the traditional fishing village located in the southern part of the island which name is made up from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for south east. The word is related to the name for the dry sirocco wind that blows from the Sahara, comparable to the equivalent Catalan word, "xaloc". Marsaxlokk is about 35 minutes from Valletta by public bus. The bay is synonomous for the many decorative "eyed" boats, called luzzus. The painted eyes on these luzzus are believed to protect the boats from the evil eye. However, tourists typically shun the town due to its severe litter problem and huge shipyards and a power station which dominate the seaward skyline.
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