Cradle of the Mediterranean

     Malta has often been referred to as the island of sunshine and history. And with good reason too. For throughout your stay in Malta you will find plenty of both.

     Malta's history was, in a sense, pre-destined for it by its excellent natural harbor and strategic location. The harbor provided a sheltered base for naval fleets while the island itself, located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, enabled its colonizing powers to exercise control over shipping in this vast and turbulent sea. Hardly surprising, therefore, that Malta has always exerted an irresistible attraction to the would-be military powers of successive epochs. Control over Malta was a pre-requisite to domination of the Mediterranean. For this reason all the various powers that, at one time or other, held sway over the Mediterranean at that time exercised control over Malta. The list of Malta's colonizers is a long one, including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Castilians, Knights of St. John, the French, and finally, the British. The number of successive colonists is indicative of the important role Malta played in the shaping of European and Mediterranean history. The list of important visitors to the island, from the Apostle Paul to Napoleon, Nelson, Eisenhower, Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt is equally impressive. It is no exaggeration to suggest that Malta's history is a good starting point for a study of the history of the region.

     If you want to enjoy Malta, soak up its history. History, in Malta, stares you in the face everywhere you visit on the islands. The god thing is that you will enjoy its captivating intensity.

Culture

     In 1530, many hundreds of years after the Neolithic period, the Knights of the order of St. John brought about another epoch of great cultural significance to the island. This is not to say that between the sudden disappearance of the Neolithic culture and the arrival of the Knights nothing happened. Quite the contrary. Many relics and remains bear witness to important historical events in this period. However, no unique or individual culture had originated from the many peoples - the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Castilians - who colonized the island during this prolonged interval.

     The history of the Knights of St. John begins in the middle of the 11th century in the Holy Land. The Order's original duties were to care for the sick and wounded Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land and to help the poor. But soon after, "infidels" became of equal or even greater importance. The Knights also became "Soldiers of Christ." They acquired and maintained huge estates and castles in the Holy Land and eventually owned a large fleet.

     With the loss of Acre to the Moslems in 1291, however, the fate of the Knights was sealed. They withdrew to Rhodes and acted as a shield against the Turks for two centuries until 1522 when Suleiman the Magnificent ousted the Knights from Rhodes. They now needed a new homeland and, in 1530, moved to Malta to where they were given tenure by Emperor Charles V.

     The Knights quickly improved trade and commerce on the islands, built new hospitals and, most importantly, erected new strong fortifications. But Suleiman wanted to destroy the Order completely and use Malta as a base from which to attack Southern Europe. In 1565 he set out with a strong fleet to drive the Knights out of Malta.
The siege which his navy laid on Malta, referred to by the Maltese as the "Great Siege of 1565," lasted four months with fighting of almost unimaginable ferocity. Although heavily outnumbered, the Knights stood firm and finally won, assisted by the Maltese people and by last minute reinforcements from Sicily. The Turks had no alternative but to beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind them an impressive number of dead among whom was the feared corsair Dragut.

     The Knights of St. John had successfully protected Southern Europe and Christendom. After their victory against the Turks, the Knights turned enthusiastically to the further development of Malta and Gozo. A golden era in culture, architecture and the arts followed. Many of Malta's most attractive building were built during this period. A new fortress city, Valletta, was built and named in honor of the Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valetta under whose inspired guidance the Knights and the Maltese had defied the Turkish onslaught. Valletta is one of the earliest examples of a planned city built on the grid system. The Knights of St. John, coming as they did from the richest families in Europe, could afford to hire the best talent available and the buildings of Valletta, its fortifications and the art treasures in its museums and churches, are the work of the best European engineers and artists of the time. It was the magnificence of is palaces and other treasures that led Sir Walter Scott to describe Valletta as "The city built by gentlemen for gentlemen."

     The fall of the Ottoman Empire marked the beginning of the end of the military vocation of the Order. However, the absence of a serious military threat to the Order's existence, and their increasing wealth, arrogance, lack of discipline and debauchery, ate into the moral fabric of the Order.

     Thus, in 1798, when Napoleon, on his way to Egypt dropped anchor outside Grand Harbor on the pretext that his expedition needed fresh water supplies, he found an Order, which had lost its way. Not surprisingly, the French Navy did not have to fire a single shot to secure Malta's surrender. On June 12th, Napoleon entered Valletta bringing to an end 268 years of rule by the Knights of St. John. Napoleon spent six eventful days in Malta during which, through numerous edicts, he tried to transform the island into a tyical "Department" of France.

     French rule in Malta, however, was short-lived. By 1800 the Maltese, with the help of Nelson, drove the French garrison out of Malta and sought the protection of the British throne. During World War II, Malta was one of the staging areas for the U.S. Armed Forces invasion of Sicily. Both General Dwight D. Eisenhower and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt were visitors to the island and FDR paid tribute to the Maltese people for their valorous service to the war effort by presenting a plaque on December 8th, 1943. Malta became independent in 1964 and adopted a Republican Constitution in 1974.

History

     The intelligent visitor is never satisfied with just skimming the surface of his vacation destination. An appetite for learning urges visitors to delve deeper into the origins and history of the country and the people in Malta. In this respect few other countries provide as much satisfaction, for the island is steeped in history. Every square inch of its land, its temples and monuments bear witness to a civilization, which in many ways, is unparalleled.

     In spite of its small size Malta's strategic location, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, has meant that, over the centuries, the island has played a very important role in the vicissitudes of the region, right from the early days of civilization up to the present.

     All the various periods of Malta's history make fascinating reading, but there are two particular periods-the Neolithic period and the period of the Knights of St. John-which stand out from the rest because they are unique to Malta. On their own the remains of these two periods constitute a good enough reason to visit Malta.

     Until recently, the Egyptian pyramids were thought to be the oldest architectural monuments in existence. Recent archaeological research, however, has shown that the earliest Neolithic temples on Malta are about 1,000 years older than the famous pyramids of Giza. Huge rocks, several tons in weight, were used in the construction of these temples. Even with modern techniques and tools this would not be an easy task today. How these enormous loads were moved, or even lifted, remains a mystery.
The earliest temples, such as the one at Ggantija on Gozo, were built by piling huge rocks on top of each other. They did not have nay carving or decoration. Later temples, such as the one at Hagar Qim, in Malta were made of huge stones fitting in very closely together and ornately decorated. Carving was done with only very primitive flint and obsidian tools. No archaeological remains made of metal from this period have been discovered on Malta. One theory is that this prehistoric people did not use metal because they may have foreseen, in its use, their own future destruction.
The subterranean burial place at Malta's Hal Saflieni, the so called Hypogeum, is an even more astonishing relic and its accidental discovery in 1902 caused quite a sensation in world archaeological circles. The temple must have been literally carved into the rocks over hundreds of years with simple tools made from flint and obsidian. Starting at ground level the Hypogeum descends several stories below ground and covers an area of more than 500 square meters. The Hypoegeum was certainly a place of worship and burial - the bones of over 7,000 people have been found - and could also have been used as a place for the training of priestesses. A number of relics support this hypothesis.

     All traces of the mysterious people who built the hypogeum disappeared suddenly around 2,00 BC - at the height of their culture. How this peaceful people disappeared we will never know. It remains pure speculation as to whether conquerors with modern metal weapons wiped out this unarmed, unfortified people, or whether a sudden epidemic destroyed all human life on Malta for centuries. Equally strange and mysterious are the cart ruts found on many of the rocky ridges in Malta. The most popular theory is that these were made by primitive side-carts used before the invention of the wheel.

Maltese People

     Visitors to Malta are invariably struck by the rare of hospitality and friendliness of the Maltese people. The Apostle Paul, who was shipwrecked off Malta in 60 A.D., was probably the first lengthy visitor to the island and the hospitality shown to him by the locals is well recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Two thousand years later Maltese hospitality remains as warm and as unaffected as it was then. The Maltese welcome the company of visitors and being helpful to them comes naturally. Also, they take great interest in what is happening in the rest of the world and with their flair for languages, communication with others is easy. They have an admirable sense of humor and, like most Mediterranean people, tend to be rather jovial. These qualities endear the Maltese to vacationers from around the world.

     It is generally said that foreigners are only tourists in Malta on their first visit. On their second and subsequent visits, they return to Malta as established friends.

     The pace of life in Malta is very relaxed by most standards. The Maltese enjoy life and their broad smiles tell you that they are a happy people. They find great strength and unity in their common language, religion and strong family ties.

     The Maltese love festivals and the warm Maltese climate make it possible to enjoy these colorful events throughout the whole year.

     Between May and October every town and village in Malta and Gozo celebrates the feast day or "festa" of its patron saint. The festa is the most important event in each village's annual calendar and the villagers eagerly look forward to this very special day.

     Considerable preparation goes into these celebrations. The village church, which is the pride of every villager, is draped with red damask and decorated with beautiful flowers. All its gold and silver treasures, as well as crystal chandeliers, are put on display thus creating a fitting setting for the statue of the patron saint which is placed in a prominent position in the church. The church facades are illuminated with hundreds of multicolored bulbs, as are the streets, across which are suspended massive and colorful drapes. Hundreds of flags are flown on rooftops while drapes and light bulbs are hung across the width of the covered balconies - typical of traditional Maltese houses. The houses on the main streets, through which the religious procession passes, are generally given a fresh coat of paint for the occasion, and on fest day, are lit up and adorned so that they look their best.

     There is a three-day build-up to the feast and the atmosphere throughout is one of gaiety and merriment. On the fest day, as the statue of the patron saint is carried should-high along the streets of the village, the church bells ring and several marching bands play. Children often throw confetti from balconies onto the passing procession. The nougat and candy floss stands do excellent business while the crowds walk up and down the village streets stopping every now and then for a drink or to greet old friends. The noise can become quite deafening as the statue is about to re-enter the church and noisy, but colorful, fireworks are set off in abundant quantities at that time. The Maltese specialize in the manufacturing of fireworks and, in Maltese inter-village rivalry; fireworks often constitute the benchmark for comparing the success of the various festas. During the summer season there is a festa day practically every weekend and no visitor to Malta should leave the island without experiencing one.
Besides the local village "festas," there are others, which are celebrated on a national scale. The "Imnarja" (a corruption of the Italian "luminara" - illumination), a harvest festival which is celebrated on June 29th, is characterized by a nightlong picnic at Buskett Gardens, Rabat, on the eve of which the native dish, stewed rabbit, is consumed in large quantities accompanied by equally large volume of wine. Exhibits of local produce, marching bands, decorated carts and folklore-singing competitions enliven the nightlong proceedings. The following day, the festivities reach a climax when bareback donkey and horse races are held in the streets leading to Rabat. The prizes for the winners of these races are the "palji" (brocaded banners), which the winners traditionally donate to their village church.
The Regatta held on September 8th in Grand Harbor celebrates Malta's victories during the Great Siege of 1565 and the Second World War. The magnificent Fort St. Angelo provides an imposing backdrop to the sleek and colorful Maltese boats. Rowing teams from the cities bordering Grand Harbor take part in a number of very exciting races marked by extreme rivalry between participating teams and their respective supporters. The Maltese really let their hair down in the revelry of Carnival in mid-February. The main celebration takes place in the capital, Valletta, but in every town and village children dress up in colorful clothes to camouflage their identity. The Valletta parade is very spectacular, including many floats of a high professional standard.