Things you didn't know about Malta
If you’re planning to visit Malta there are some facts about it that you should know. Such as the oldest temple in the world or that there is a church for every day of the year. Discover these and some other curiosities of this Mediterranean archipelago with us!
CURIOSITIES ABOUT MALTA
This small archipelago is composed of three inhabited islands. It owns natural sites, rural areas, churches, temples and many secrets that will surprise you! Take notice of the following curiosities about Malta on your next trip.
MORE THAN 70 MOVIES HAVE BEEN SHOT IN MALTA
Its Mediterranean light and its unique landscapes have made Malta an ideal country to shoot both series and movies. Some of them are Casino Royale (1967), Popeye (1979), Ágora (2008), By the sea (2015) and Game of Thrones (2011).
MALTESE COLOR
Malta has a special colour due to the color of the large blocks of limestone rock which is used to build almost everything. The cities and towns of the country have a creamy color aspect despite its age. Whether you stay in St. Julian’s, the best area to stay in Malta, or La Valeta or Sliema, you’ll enjoy beautiful maltese color views.
LAND OF SALT
Salt has been a very important product throughout history, and in Malta it’s been an important source of income as well. Did you know that the word salary comes from the Latin salarium? They used to build salt flat on coasts, but over time it became complicated. And thanks to Romans sustainable salt flats were installed in the north of the island of Gozo making the salt industry last.
A CHURCH FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR
In only 316 km Malta has 365 Catholic temples between churches and hermitages. Due to their historical relationship with the Knights of Saint John many religious buildings were built.
St. Johns Co-Cathedral is the main Catholic temple in the capital. It was founded in 1565 by Jean Parisot de La Valette. It is also essential to visit the Rotunda of Mosta, the Basilica of Ta’Pinu.
THE OLDEST TEMPLE IN THE WORLD
The first settlers, about 5,600 years ago, arrived from Sicily and built megalithic temples. They erected stone temples with a precise orientation to the sun to perform their cults.
Nowadays there are currently 25 temples left. You can’t leave without visiting Gigantija, the oldest standing religious temple in the world made a millennium before the Great Pyramid of Cheops. And Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground labyrinthine space which was used as a sanctuary and burial since 4000 BC.
ITS SEABED
Malta has a rocky coastline and few beaches. It’s full of cliffs such as Azure Window or Blue Grotto. Its seabed is considered among the best in the Mediterranean for its wide biodiversity. Its waters allow the sun illuminate some geological formations in a unique way, such as Blue Hole, a kind of natural tube with a depth of 26 meters. The bombings of World War II caused the sinking of ships, submarines and airplanes that remain in nearby and accessible places that can be visited.