Malta Culture 365

Ancient apiaries Malta has been known for a number of products over the centuries, with one of the interesting ones being honey. The local flora such as wild thyme ( sagħtar ), orange blossoms ( żagħar ) and carob flowers have made for honey being one of the tastier and more sought after honey in the Mediterranean. So much so that the Phoenician name for Malta was Melite or "honey sweet" if one were to translate it literally. This evolved to Melita and eventually Malta, but the association of Malta with honey remains to the present day. We have a number of apiaries scattered around the Islands, however the best examples are the ones to the North of the island mainly in Xemxija and Selmun in Mellieħa. The ones near the Roman road in Xemxija originate das low caves which were walled off and niches left leading to terracotta containers were the hive was built and the honey collected. The other set which is located in Mistra Valley consists of spaces hewn from the live rock altho...

Mosta is in the geographic centre of Malta. Some say that the name Mosta or Musta as it used to be pronounced until fairly recently is derived from the Arabic root W-S-T which means centre. Others are of the opinion that the name is derived from the Arabic adjective mistur or hidden. Whatever the source of the name, modern day Mosta has grown into one of the more popular towns in Malta, not only owing to its being well connected and well served with amenities, but the people it has produced are amongst the most patriotic of the Maltese Islands. For a map of the walk, scroll down to the bottom of the page or access it directly here . Mosta is most known for its Rotunda, Giorgio Grognet de Vasse's masterpiece which is visible from a significant distance away from Mosta proper. This church which replaced a typical Latin cross planned church design by Tumas Dingli started off  in a quite controversial manner. The design is strongly inspired by the pantheon in Rome as th...

The Victoria Lines Walk The Victoria Lines are a line of fortifications that span across Malta. The intent of the North West Front as the original name of the lines was planned to be was to focus the defence on the south east part of Malta which was more heavily populated and had less beaches, and thus was more defensible. The lines run along a natural barrier known as the Great Fault and further defends this natural step in the landscape. This significant military endeavour spans across 12 kilometres and is for the most part easy to walk along taking in the vistas of the more rural part of Malta. The construction of the Lines commenced in the late 19th Century and they were inaugurated in 1897, the same year Queen Victoria had her Jubilee, hence their being named the Victoria Lines. The lines were deemed obsolete by 1907, a short time after completion and thus they remained untested and ...