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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