History and Heritage
Man has lived in Malta as far back as Neolithic times and for their day were quite cultural in their activities. This can be seen from the Temples at Hagar Qim and Imnajdra that have withstood the passage of time. Scientists have concluded that these temples are the oldest monuments on Earth even surpassing the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt.
Being a cluster of islands, and due to the proximity to Sicily, Malta was colonised by many different peoples.
Having lingered for quite a while, it was the Phoenicians who first introduced the language and alphabet. They in turn were followed by the Carthaginians, Romans and it is at this point in Malta’s history that the Island was converted to Christianity with the arrival of St. Paul an his way to Rome. Then came the Arabs , Castillians and Spanish.
Around the 1530 Charles V of Spain handed Malta over to The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem who had then left Rhodes and were in need of a base for their Order. From here they continued to oppose the Ottoman Empire for many years culminating with The Great Siege of Malta in 1565. This is a very important date in Malta’s history when a handful of Knights together with the local militia managed to thwart the might of the Ottoman Empire after repeated attempts by Dragut’s army to capture the Island.
Following the knights some 250 years later, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived here on his way to do battle with the British in Egypt. The French remained here for only two years but were instrumental in establishing the civil code which is still in use today, and influencing much of the architecture.
After his defeat at the Battle of the Nile, Napoleon was ousted by the British and as a result Malta colonised by the British.
During the 200 years the British were here, Malta flourished due to the trading routes and the economy expanded with links to neighbouring countries.
During the Second World War, Malta played a very important part as the British used the Island to disrupt the German Army’s supply links in North Africa. The population suffered as a result of continual bombing from Sicily and in 1942 after nearly surrendering, Malta was awarded the George Cross by King George VI. It has now been incorporated into the National Flag.
Eventually after 200 years of British rule, Malta gained her independence within the Commonwealth in 1964 and eventually became a Republic in 1974.
Subsequently in 2004, Malta was admitted to the European Union.
