History goes back 7000 years and if you are really interested please follow these pages
Prehistory:
At one time it was believed that the temple builders succumbed to
an invasion of fresh migrants who exterminated, or enslaved the original settlers
and took over the land. Prehistory ...more
The Phoenicians:
Their homeland a narrow coastal plain, and hemmed in by their
enemies between the mountains and the Mediterranean, the only direction in
which the Phoenicians could expand was seawards. Phoenicians ...more
The Romans:
The three Punic Wars were to last for over a hundred years and
during this struggle between the Carthaginians and the Romans, Sicily and its
appendage, the Maltese islands, were to occupy central stage in the theatre of
war for the control of the Mediterranean. Romans ...more
Saint Paul:
The shipwreck of St. Paul in 60 AD is recorded in some detail in the
Acts of the Apostles, and a Pauline tradition of long standing supported by
archaeological excavations St. Paul ...more
The Arabs:
The Arab attacks on the islands started from around the year 836
during which time Malta and its islands were still under Byzantine rule, but the
islands were only overcome in the year 870. Arabs ...more
The Middle Ages:
The Arabs in Sicily were divided, and taking advantage of the
situation, Count Roger the Norman, after a series of campaigns, subdued that
island to Norman Rule. Middle Ages ...more
The Knights of St John:
The visitor arriving by air will probably first notice it in
the livery colours of Air Malta, the national airline; He will see it again and again
during his stay on the Island: The Famous Maltese Cross. Knights ...more
The Great Siege of Malta:
"Nothing is better known than the siege of Malta" wrote Voltaire two hundred years after the event "and for the Maltese people
today the statement still rings true". The Great Siege ...more
Valletta’s beginning:
The idea of fortifying the rocky and steepsided
Mount
Sciberras had occurred to the Knights on their arrival in 1530, but because time
was not on their side, they limited themselves to building a fort at its very tip,
instead. Valletta...more
The fall of an Order:
When the Order made Malta its home, for the first time the
Masters of the Maltese lived on the Island itself, and wealth poured into the
Island, rather than the other way round. Fall of the Order ...more
The French:
Napoleon's capture of Malta in June 1798 cannot be counted as one
of his military triumphs. The Grand Master capitulated without offering any
resistance and Napoleon made his grand entry into Valletta. ...more
The British:
Once the French were expelled from the Island, the British were not
so much interested in keeping Malta, as keeping the French out. British..more
Independence:
For the Malta People the path to independence was neither
smooth nor straight. Independence...more
The EU:
Malta has become part of the European Union on 1st of May 2001.EU ...more
Malta's History is quite vast. These pages give an outline of the Malta time line
throughout the various phases.
- Prehistory
- Phoenician Era
- The Romans in Malta
- St. Paul shipwrecked
- Arab conquest
- The Middle Ages
- The Knights of St. John
- The Great Siege
- Valletta
- Fall of the Order
- The French Occupation
- The British Era
- Independence
- EU
- The Knights of St. John
Excursions
Heritage Malta | Museum of Archaeologu
Feature
8th April 2008
Heritage Malta and Gaia launch project at gantija Heritage Malta and the Gaia Foundation recently signed an official agreement for the implementation of an agro-environment and landscaping plan at the Ggantija Temples in Xaghra Gozo.
Ggantija which now combines cultural and agricultural heritage will be used as a base for a wider agro-environment project which involves the promotion of an industry for olives, almonds, pomegranate and the use of existing carob trees in the island of Gozo. An annual festival will take place at Ggantija in autumn.
The project will enhance the Gozitan agricultural landscape, and make the island a more attractive tourist destination as well as address climate change and carbon emissions through the planting of more trees.
It will also help to counter the problem of a sector under pressure from economic and climatic factors as well as the challenge to a growing number of part time farmers who cannot maintain the old rhythm and system of year-round production.
The almond is one of the most resilient and drought-resistant fruit trees found on the Maltese Islands. Pomegranates, too, are one of the least demanding fruit trees. No irrigation or pest control is needed except for annual pruning.
Once established these groves would be a good source of income for farmers, whilst simultaneously creating a multiplier effect in the local economy for the operators of olive presses, almond grinders, packers and exporters.
The demand for olive oil worldwide is on the increase, and is greater than supply, unlike the wine industry, where there is stiff competition and an abundant stream of grapes and wine worldwide.
With the exception of Spain, Europe looks towards California for the bulk of its source of almonds owing to insufficient production in the Mediterranean. Malta could step in and start exporting almonds to the North.
Marzipan, made from almonds is sold at a premium throughout Europe. The Gaia Foundation is a non-profit making NGO set up in 1994 to safeguard the local environment, and to serve as a prototype for a sustainable society.