Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk (Maltese pronunciation: [marsaʃˈlɔk]) is a small, traditional fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishermen and history. As of March 2014, the village had a population of 3,534. The village is also known for the Marsaxlokk Market, which is mainly a large fish market which takes place along the seafront on Sundays, and a tourist market during all other days of the week. Inhabited and well-known since antiquity, Marsaxlokk was used as a port by Phoenicians, Carthaginians and also has the remains of a Roman-era harbour. Originally a part of the city of Żejtun, the fishing village became a separate parish in the late nineteenth century.

Traditional luzzi and other larger and more modern vessels line the sheltered inner harbour. The village is also popular among locals and tourists alike for its walks ...Read more

Marsaxlokk (Maltese pronunciation: [marsaʃˈlɔk]) is a small, traditional fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishermen and history. As of March 2014, the village had a population of 3,534. The village is also known for the Marsaxlokk Market, which is mainly a large fish market which takes place along the seafront on Sundays, and a tourist market during all other days of the week. Inhabited and well-known since antiquity, Marsaxlokk was used as a port by Phoenicians, Carthaginians and also has the remains of a Roman-era harbour. Originally a part of the city of Żejtun, the fishing village became a separate parish in the late nineteenth century.

Traditional luzzi and other larger and more modern vessels line the sheltered inner harbour. The village is also popular among locals and tourists alike for its walks around the coast and harbour, its restaurants, as well as for its swimming zones. Marsaxlokk Bay also includes a container freeport towards Birżebbuġa, a power station complex towards Delimara, and a small ship-repair facility for fishermen.

Marsaxlokk is sometimes referred to as Portus Herculis, due to the association of Marsaxlokk Bay with the Roman and Punic remains at Tas-Silġ.

 Marsaxlokk in 1883

To the north-east of the village, on the rounded hilltop of Tas-Silġ, there is a multi-period sanctuary site covering all eras from the Neolithic to the fourth century AD.[1] The Tas-Silġ site includes megalithic remains, scattered edifices belonging to three distinct temples. Cicero describes the temple of Juno in Malta in his In Verrem.[2] The temple, long associated with the remains at Tas-Silġ, contained "a large number of ornaments among which was a carefully and supremely crafted ancient ivory statue of Victory."[3] The presence of such ornaments is a clear indication of the importance of this temple not just locally but also on a Mediterranean scale. Recent studies of the ceramics from Tas-Silġ led to conclusions that the sanctuary was used as a centre of exchange for both local and imported goods.[4] The remains atop the hill also include a more recent Byzantine basilica and monastery.[2]

Little is known about the area during the Middle Ages, with all the casalia of the south-eastern side of the island being exposed to frequent raids and attacks by Saracen pirates and, later, raiders from the Barbary coast. Modern historical studies and topology confirm that the area between Żejtun and Marsaxlokk was covered in vegetation and pasture land.[5] In the later Middle Ages, Marsaxlokk was included in medieval portolani. At least three of these medieval sailing instructions, dating as far back as the 13th century mention, Marsaxlokk (as marza sinocho, Marsa silocco and marza per sirocho). The Rizo portolan of 1490 gives sailing distances from Marsaxlokk to a variety of other ports in the Mediterranean including Tunis, Cephalonia and Tripoli in Libya. This reflects the port's connectivity with other parts of the medieval Mediterranean.[6]

The invading Ottoman navy anchored at Marsaxlokk during the Great Siege of 1565, before they completed the attack on Fort Saint Elmo.[7] The whole harbour area was systematically fortified over successive centuries, with towers, batteries and fortresses ringing Marsaxlokk bay. This chain of fortifications was intended to protect the vulnerable harbour, and included Vendôme Tower, Fort Delimara, Delimara Tower, Ta' Bettina Tower, and Fort Tas-Silġ on Delimara point, on the north arm of Marsaxlokk Bay, Fort San Lucian on Kbira point in the middle of the bay, and the Pinto and Ferretti batteries on the shores of the bay towards Birżebbuġa. The most prominent fortification of this chain, Fort San Lucian was built by 1611 and may have prevented a landing in the bay by Ottoman forces in 1614. Napoleon's navy entered Marsaxlokk, and landed an army on the coast during the French invasion of 1798.[8] During the Maltese uprising - British, Neapolitan and Portuguese forces operated from here. Horatio Nelson and his lover Emma Hamilton also stayed here from April to June 1800, visiting parts of the island.[9]

Most of the fishermen who worked out of Marsaxlokk bay hailed from Żejtun, commuting back and forth from the shore. Around 1846, the first houses began to be built in Marsaxlokk, as fishermen from Żejtun settled there permanently.[10] At the end of the nineteenth century, a church was built to minister to the spiritual needs of the fishermen and their families. Eventually, the fishing village of Marsaxlokk was separated from Żejtun and became a distinct parish in January 1897.[11] The construction of the parish church started in 1890.[12] It was built as a fulfillment of a promise made by Marquess Rosalia Apap Viani Testaferrata after she was saved from a violent storm at sea. The church was originally built in a rectangular form with the designs attributed to Dun Ġużepp Diacono. Marsaxlokk became an independent parish in 1897. The feast of our lady is held on the last Sunday of July. It includes a procession with the statue and a firework display.

In the 1930s, Marsaxlokk bay was used as a staging post by four-engined Short C-Class flying boats of Britain's Imperial Airways as they pioneered long-distance air travel to across the British Empire.[13] During the Second World War, Marsaxlokk Bay was the base for the Fleet Air Arm with a base at Kalafrana.[14] In 1989, the famous summit meeting between Soviet and US leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush was held on board a ship anchored in the bay.[15] Today, the village is framed by the fuel tanks and chimneys of the Delimara Power Station,[16] and the huge cranes of the Malta Freeport Container Terminal.[17]

In recent years, Marsaxlokk also developed as a modern seaside resort. The village includes a natural park at Xrobb l-Għaġin.[18]

^ "Tas-Silġ Excavation Project (1996–2005)". University of Malta. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. ^ a b Carabott, Sarah (24 September 2013). "Tas-Silg... uncovered". Times of Malta. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ "Environmental Impact Statement for proposed coastal defences at Marsaxlokk" (PDF). ERA. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ Bruno 2009, p. 42 ^ Bruno 2009, p. 120 ^ Cassola, A. (1992). "The Maltese Toponomy in three Ancient Italian Portulans (1296-1490)" (PDF). Al-Masaq Studia Arabo-Islamica Mediterranea International Jour-nal of Arabo- Islamic Mediterranean Studies. 5: 47–64. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ "Marsaxlokk in detail". lonelyplanet.com. Retrieved 6 November 2018. ^ Bradford, Ernle (1999) [1977]. Nelson: The Essential Hero. Wordsworth Military Library. p. 249. ISBN 1-84022-202-6. ^ Goodwin, Stefan (2002). Malta, Mediterranean Bridge. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 69–70. ISBN 0897898206. ^ "Local Councils - Marsaxlokk". lc.gov.mt. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018. ^ "Storja tal-Parrocca | Marsaxlokk". marsaxlokkparish.com. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ "History in Marsaxlokk". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ "Royal Navy". aviationinmalta.com. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ "29 years ago Bush was in Malta for summit which buried the Cold War". tvm.com.mt. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ Mercieca, Simon (9 January 2017). "The Marsaxlokk power station and the end of science". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ "Proposed Development at Malta Freeport Terminals Limited" (PDF). ERA. Retrieved 23 June 2019. ^ "Xrobb l-Ghagin Nature Park". xrobblghagin.org.mt. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
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