Bengħisa Tower

Last updated
Bengħisa Tower
Torri ta' Bengħisa
Part of the De Redin towers
Birżebbuġa, Malta
Coordinates 35°48′42.6″N14°32′23″E / 35.811833°N 14.53972°E / 35.811833; 14.53972
Type Coastal watchtower
Site history
Built 1659
Built by Order of Saint John
Materials Limestone
Fate Demolished, 1915

Bengħisa Tower (Maltese : Torri ta' Bengħisa), originally known as Torre di Benissa [1] and also referred to as the Red Tower (Maltese : Torri l-Aħmar), was a small watchtower in Bengħisa, limits of Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built in 1659 as the seventh of the De Redin towers, on or near the site of a medieval watch post. [2] An entrenchment was built around the tower in 1761, and it was armed with 10 guns. The tower was demolished by the British to clear the line of fire of the nearby Fort Benghisa in 1915. [3] [4]

Maltese language Semitic language

Maltese is the national language of Malta and a co-official language of the country alongside English, while also serving as an official language of the European Union, the only Semitic language so distinguished. Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic, the extinct variety of Arabic that developed in Sicily and was later introduced to Malta, between the end of the ninth century and the end of the twelfth century.

Watchtower type of fortification

A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may observe the surrounding area. In some cases, non-military towers, such as religious towers, may also be used as watchtowers.

Birżebbuġa Local council in Southern Region, Malta

Birżebbuġa is a seaside town in the Southern Region of Malta, close to Marsaxlokk. It is approximately 8 miles from the capital Valletta, and it has a population of 9,736 as of March 2014.

Oil tanks at the Malta Freeport, with the site of the tower roughly at the centre of this picture Malta - Birzebbuga - Freeport (Triq Benghajsa) 07 ies.jpg
Oil tanks at the Malta Freeport, with the site of the tower roughly at the centre of this picture

The site of the tower and the entrenchment is now occupied by oil tanks forming part of the Malta Freeport.

Malta Freeport international port on the island of Malta

Malta Freeport is an international port on the island of Malta with a trade volume of 3.06 million TEUs in 2015. It is one of busiest ports in Europe. It lies in Birżebbuġa in the southeastern part of Malta, on the site of the former seaplane base RAF Kalafrana.

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References

  1. Ġrajjet Malta - It-Tielet Ktieb (in Maltese) (4 ed.). Sliema: Department of Education. 2006. p. 81.
  2. Zammit, Vincent (1984). "Fortifications in the Middle Ages". Civilization. Ħamrun: PEG Ltd. 1: 33.
  3. Guillaumier, Alfie (1987). Bliet u Rħula Maltin (in Maltese). Valletta: Valletta Publishing & Promotion Co. Ltd. p. 104.
  4. Mifsud, A. (1920). "La Milizia e le Torri antiche di Malta" (PDF). Archivum Melitense (in Italian). 4 (2): 80. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2017.