WELCOME

This blog is dedicated to Malta - my island home. My aim is not to bore you with history but to share my thoughts and a few facts together with a photo or two. For a more in -depth background of the island please go here. The purpose of this blog is not to point out the short-comings of the island. There are plenty that do that already. My wish is to show you the beauty of an island at the cross roads of the Mediterranean, a melting pot of history; a place where fact and fiction are sometimes fused to create unique myths and legends; a country that has been conquered so many times that our culture is a mish mesh of the lands that surround us and of lands far away. I confess that my greatest desire is to make you fall in love with this tiny enchanting island.

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Sunday 19 July 2009

Sentinels

Photo by Darin Dykstra

They stand on rocky promontories of our coast. Silent sentinels of a distant past. Battered and broken by the passage of time; their stones eroded by wind and sea. Time has wrought many changes to this island they guard. No corsairs or pirate ships roam our shores. No gun shots break the stillness; no cries of wounded and dying men. Today their silent gaze reminds us of a troubled past, the vacant posts a memory to the men who guarded this land. Their work is done; their youth is past. In the sunset of their life they scan the distant horizon and dream – the silence broken only by the distant booming of the restless sea.
Historical Note
A total of 18 towers were built in the style shown in the photo by Grand Masters Juan de Lascaris and Martin de Redin. The first five Lascaris towers were built between 1637 and 1640 whereas the remaining 13 de Redin towers were built between 1658 and 1659. The towers are known collectively as the de Redin towers. All the towers are within sight of each other and their main function was to act as watchtowers against attack by corsairs.

2 comments:

  1. Your blog is wonderful and I'm sure you will succeed in your goal. You already have one faithful follower who is totally in love with your island, your poetic way of writing and tyour beautiful photography. I hope to read many more posts of you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always think of Malta as bright sunshine and blue water, and you have created a whole new dimension!

    ~Aly

    ReplyDelete

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