 Hagar Qim
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The history of the Maltese Islands has been heavily influenced by their location in the Central Mediterranean. Their strategic position has for centuries made them an attractive trophy for would-be settlers, traders and invaders.
The earliest settlers are thought to have come from Sicily around 5000 BC. The Neolithic people of the 3rd and 4th millennium BC are thought to have built the oldest free-standing monuments in the world, older than the pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge in England. Seven of these ‘temples’ are recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
The Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans and the Arabs all conquered Malta at some point and left their influence on the Islands.
Later, during the Middle Ages when the Turks were expanding westwards into Europe, Malta became home to the Knights of St. John. After preventing the Turks from taking Malta in 1565, the Knights launched a project of huge investment on the Islands. They built the magnificent walled city of Valletta filled it with rich Baroque art and architecture. The fortifications of other existing cities, such as Mdina and Vittoriosa were strengthened and other great architectural pieces were added.
In 1800 the British recognized the strategic position of Malta in the centre of the Mediterranean and colonized it over the next 160 years. Although the British left Malta in 1979, the legacy of the years under British rule is still very evident today. The English language is widely used and spoken, the civil service and education systems are modelled on British systems, vehicles drive on the left side of the road and many English traditions have been adopted by the Maltese.
Students at Mdina
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View of the Three Cities from Valletta
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