| Three villages of Malta |
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The Three Villages (Maltese : It-Tliet Irħula) refers to the Maltese villages of Attard, Balzan, and Lija, which are around the centre of the island. [1] The Three Villages are known as such because of their close proximity to one another. In some cases one side of the street is part of one village while the opposite side of the same street is part of another village.
The three villages are also very similar in layout and age. [2] [3] [4]
During the Order of St. John the three villages were sought after for country residences and hunting lodges, of which many built there large palaces as a symbol of nobility and to some extent even superiority over the rest of Maltese society. [5]
From 1993 to 2014 the population of Attard and Lija increased whilst Balzan's population decreased and grew in age. [6]
Attard is a town in the Central Region of Malta. Together with Balzan and Lija it forms part of "the Three Villages" and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. It has a population of 12,268 as of 2021. Attard's traditional Latin motto is Florigera rosis halo due to its many flower gardens and citrus orchards. Attard is abundant with public gardens. The inhabitants of Attard are known as saraċini.
Balzan is a municipality in the Central Region of Malta, one of the so-called three villages, together with Attard and Lija. The village originally consisted of a group of small dwellings and farms but eventually grew, becoming a parish in the 17th century. As of 2021, the town registered a population of 4,774 inhabitants.
Lija is a small village in the Central Region of Malta. It forms part of the Three villages of Malta, along with Attard and Balzan. Lija has a baroque parish church and seven other small chapels. The parish church is dedicated to Our Saviour. Lija became a parish in 1594, after the small community detached itself from the neighbouring town, Birkirkara. It has a population of 3,162 as of 2021.
Iklin is a village in the Central Region of Malta, with a population of 3,247 as at 2021. Iklin was established in the mid-20th century; however some archaeological sites and a medieval chapel, named as St. Michael Chapel, are proof to earlier settlements. Until recently, the town was considered to form part of the Three villages of Malta, as part of Lija. With the separation of Iklin from Lija, Iklin is no longer part of the three villages. It is bordered by Għargħur, San Ġwann, Birkirkara, Balzan and Naxxar.
93.3 Central FM was a non-profit community radio station based on the island of Malta and serving mainly three villages of Malta: Attard, Lija and Balzan. 93.3 Central FM went on air on 15 January 2006.
Malta is for non-local government purposes divided into districts as opposed to the local government localities. The three main types of such districts – statistical, electoral at national level, and policing – have no mainstream administrative effect as the local councils form the first-tier – moreover only administrative tier – divisions of the country.
Misraħ Kola, is an Estate in the locality of Attard, Malta and is considered a part of Attard while not strictly belonging to the three villages made up of (central) Attard, Balzan and Lija.

Balzan Football Club is a Maltese football club from the village of Balzan that competes in the Maltese Premier League, the top tier of Maltese football. The club was founded in 1937 and has been playing in the top division since 2010.
Post codes in Malta are seven-character strings that form part of a postal address in Malta. Post codes were first introduced in 1991 by the mail operator MaltaPost. Like those in the United Kingdom and Canada, they are alphanumeric.
In Malta most of the main roads are in the outskirts of the localities to connect one urban area with another urban area. The most important roads are those that connect the south of the island with the northern part, like Tal-Barrani Road, Aldo Moro Street in Marsa and Birkirkara Bypass.
The Wignacourt Aqueduct is a 17th-century aqueduct in Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta. The aqueduct carried water through underground pipes and over arched viaducts across depressions in the ground.
The Auberge d'Auvergne was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Auvergne. It became a courthouse in the 19th century, and it remained so until it was destroyed by aerial bombardment in 1941. The site is now occupied by the Courts of Justice building, which was constructed in the 1960s.
The Ġonna tal-Kmand, formerly known as Ġonna tal-Kutnent and sometimes known as Ball Gardens, are a group of gardens in various localities in Malta, which were built in the early years of the 19th century when the island was a British protectorate. The gardens were commissioned by Civil Commissioner Alexander Ball between 1802 and 1805, and were given to the Luogotenenti in charge of the towns or villages.
The 2017–18 Maltese FA Trophy was the 80th version of the football tournament. It was sponsored by Boost Diesel, which was revealed during the draws of the first, second and third round of the Maltese FA Trophy at the Trophies Lounge in Malta Football Association headquarters in Ta' Qali. A total of sixty–four clubs participated in this season's cup competition.
Oliver Spiteri is a Maltese manager and former footballer who works as head coach for Maltese side Naxxar Lions.
The 2018–19 Maltese FA Trophy was the 81st edition of the football cup competition. A record number of 67 clubs competed in the FA Trophy, with the first round starting on the weekend of 1–2 September 2018 and concluding with the final played on 18 May 2019.
Francesco Vincenzo Zahra was a Maltese painter who mainly painted religious works in the Neapolitan Baroque style. His works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands, as well as in some private collections and museums. He is considered to be the greatest painter from 18th-century Malta.
The 2019–20 Maltese FA Trophy was the 82nd edition of the football cup competition.
Philip or Filippo Tortell (1869–1937) was a Maltese architect born in Valletta on 12 December 1869, son of Augusto Alessandro Tortell and of Camilla Montanaro.
The 1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic was a major outbreak of plague on the island of Malta, then ruled by the Order of St John. It occurred between December 1675 and August 1676, and it resulted in approximately 11,300 deaths, making it the deadliest epidemic in Maltese history. Most deaths were in the urban areas, including the capital Valletta and the Three Cities, which had a mortality rate of about 41%. In the rural settlements, the mortality rate was 6.9%.