Imġiebaħ or Ancient Apiaries

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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 although there is one stretch which consists of a walled off cave.


In all cases, the apiaries are south-facing, a common feature found in rural Malta. South facing walls retained the sun's heat and light the longest without being too hot during the summer months and so probably resulted in being the most productive. The frequency of a large number of apiaries in such a short distance gives the impression that these two valleys may have been amongst the most productive in the Islands. The proximity to the Roman port in the bay of Xemxija may have been another reason for the frequency of apiaries.


Another set of apiaries is also located a short distance away in the area known to this day as Imġiebaħ or the Maltese name for apiaries. Once again, this points to there probably being a significant number of apiaries, enough to result in a toponym for the area surviving to the present day. 

Wied il-Għasel in Mosta is another area known for honey production, however this time it refers to wild bees. According to historic references, the name came about because the walls of the valley would run with wild honey, hence the name "The Valley of Honey".



All photos are copyrighted by the author. 

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