Xemxija

Xemxija Ix-Xemxija
Town
View of Xemxija with the parish church
Xemxija
Coordinates: 35°57′2″N14°23′9″E / 35.95056°N 14.38583°E / 35.95056; 14.38583
Country	Malta
Region	Northern Region
District	Northern District
Local council	St. Paul's Bay
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	SPB
Dialing code	356

Xemxija (Maltese : Ix-Xemxija, pronounced shem-shee-ya) is a suburb in the western part of St. Paul's Bay in the Northern Region of Malta. It is surrounded by countryside and contains two bays, the titular Xemxija Bay and Mistra Bay, located just north of the parish church. There are a number of hotels and restaurants in Xemxija.

History

The area around Xemxija has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It contains a number of archaeological sites, which now form a heritage trail. These include a number of rock-hewn tombs, ^[1] remains of two megalithic temples, ^{[2] [3]} a Bronze Age grain silo, ^[4] trogloditic dwellings, cart ruts, a Roman road, and Roman apiaries. ^[5]

The Arrias Battery (top) and the Xemxija Aqueduct (bottom)

In around 1715, the Order of St. John built Arrias Battery as part of a series of fortifications defending Malta's coastline. It was also called Xemxija Battery since it was on the sunny side of the bay (xemxija means "sunny" in Maltese), and the area around it became known as Xemxija. Today, the battery is a restaurant. ^[6]

In 1839, the British built an aqueduct allowing the transportation of water. The water travelled from an underground aqueduct in an area in Wardija, known as tal-Ballut, that extends to an above ground aqueduct and then to a reservoir both in Xemxija. The conservation of water was needed for the British military and their horses, who surveilled the area from the nearby defence posts. ^{[7] [8]}

An underground emergency flour mill was built in Xemxija during the Cold War. It has been restored to working condition by the Fondazzjoni Wirt Industrijali Malti (Maltese Industrial Heritage Foundation), and is now open to the public. ^[9]

Since the 1980s, several apartment blocks were built in Xemxija making it a popular residential area. It is also a small resort, mainly catering with bars and restaurants. ^{[10] [11]}

The Simar Nature Reserve forms part of the suburb. ^[12] A fire and rescue station is located in Xemxija, known as the Xemxija Fire Station. ^[13]

Further reading

• S. Formosa; S. Scicluna; J. Azzopardi (January 2013). Saviour Formosa; Sandra Scicluna; Jacqueline Azzopardi (eds.). Realities of Crime, Society and Landuse in the Mediterranean: JANUS I (PDF). Msida: Department of Criminology, University of Malta. p. 97. doi:10.13140/2.1.1230.4322. ISBN   978-99957-834-0-2. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017.

References

1. "Xemxija prehistoric tombs" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands . 30 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
2. "Xemxija Temple (1) - Ancient Temple in Malta in Mainland". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
3. "Xemxija Temple (2) - Ancient Temple in Malta in Mainland". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
4. "Xemxija Silo - Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry in Malta in Mainland". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
5. "Xemxija Heritage Trail". howtomalta.com. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
6. "Arrias Battery" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
7. "Het Wignacourt-aquaduct". Malta Pagina (in Dutch). Netherlands. 2005–2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
8. "History Repeats itself: aqueduct damaged in mysterious accident". The Malta Independent . 26 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017.
9. "Underground Flour Mills". maltaheritage.blogspot.com. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
10. "San Pawl il-Baħar: Home". Local Councils. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
11. Majjistral Sustainable Development Strategy: Rural Development Programme for Malta 2007-2013 (PDF). Leader Programme (Report). 14 December 2009. p. 44. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2016.
12. Dillon, Paddy (2016). Walking on Malta. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 109. ISBN   9781783622917.
13. "Rescuers help man, woman, stuck on a cliff face".