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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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Wednesday 8 March 2017

The Azure Window: the end of an icon

The Azure Window was a natural limestone arch that rose majestically out of the blue Mediterranean sea to a height of 28 metres (92 feet). It was located in Dwejra, Gozo.

The arch was created when two limestone caves collapsed on some unrecorded day in history. It was a natural attraction much-loved both by the Maltese and by thousands of tourists who visited it on a daily basis and captured its unique beauty in countless images.

 After a night of storms and gale-force winds, the arch succumbed to the elements and it collapsed into the sea this morning. Nothing is left where the arch once stood, not even the stacks. This iconic feature is gone forever and the Azure Window will not only live on in our memories and our photographs.


Thankfully, in this age of social media, images and videos of the Azure Window are plentiful but it is still sad to think that there will be generations of children who will grow up without seeing it for themselves.


During its lifetime, the Azure Window  was the backdrop for some scenes in movies like Clash of the Titans (1981), The Count of  Monte Cristo (2002) and in the TV series Game of Thrones. In 2016, clothing designer Hugo Boss shot an ad campaign featuring cliff diver David Colturi jumping off of the Azure Window.

The photos in this article were taken almost exactly 14 years ago on 5th March 2003.
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24 comments:

  1. My heart breaks to hear that this arch icon is gone. Carved by nature and taken back by nature.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's so sad. I remember seeing the film Clash of the Titans. Sad that it's gone.

    There are two landmarks here that have gone too. Both were limestone formations one an arch similar to yours and another just a huge outcrop when we were little. Now it's a tiny rock, nothing special. The sea is a very powerful force.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Forgot to say that was a great dive bet it ruined the suit though. Shame that great backdrop is no more.

      Delete
  3. Missing your beautiful photos! Hope you're coming back soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Winifred, I've started a new blog and am writing there instead. Not sure it was the best idea to start from scratch. If you want to read the link is: www.sincerelyloree.blogspot.com

      Delete
  4. Such beauty!
    So happy to have found you ~

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
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The Azure Window: the end of an icon

The Azure Window was a natural limestone arch that rose majestically out of the blue Mediterranean sea to a height of 28 metres (92 fee...