697
10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About Malta
You may have read our article by Anne Thompson all about what to do in 48 hours in Malta, but here are some more interesting facts which you may or may not know.
Churches in Malta
- In Malta there are 359 churches. Almost one for each day of the year.
Malta Home to Some of The Oldest Temples
- The prehistoric Megalithic Temples of Malta are known to be some of the oldest temples in history, with some dating back to before the Egyptian Pyramids and the stone structures of Stonehenge
Malta’s Hypogeum
- Malta’s Hypogeum is one of the world’s best preserved prehistoric sites and houses a 6,000-year-old underground burial chamber.
Malta As A Film Location
- Malta is an important movie location! Several famous films have been in shot in Malta including: Murder on the Orient Express (filmed in Valletta), Gladiator (filmed in Troy), Game of Thrones (filmed in Mdina). Malta is well known for its water tanks at the Mediterranean Film Studios, which are amongst the largest in the world, and one of very few to operate with a natural sea horizon as a backdrop.
The Manoel Theatre in Valletta
- The Manoel Theatre in Valletta is the third oldest theatre in Europe.
The Mosta Dome
- The Mosta dome (above) is the 3rd largest unsupported dome in the world. Around 300 people took refuge there during a bombing during the Second World War, and although a bomb actually hit the cupola, it went through and fell on the ground … without exploding.! Called the Assumption of Our Lady, it is also Malta’s largest and most famous church.
Malta a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- The capital of Malta is Valletta which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site boasting more than 300 historical monuments. In 2018 it was voted European Capital of Culture.
The Maltese Language
- The Maltese language is very unique. It developed from a dialect of Arabic and is closely related to the western Arabic dialects of Algeria and Tunisia. It is also strongly influenced by the Sicilian language (spoken in Sicily, Italy). Furthermore Maltese is the only form of Arabic to be written using the Latin alphabet.
Valetta A Planned City
- Valletta was one of the first European cities to be planned as a single holistic creation based on a grid layout.
Diving In Malta
- Malta is renowned for its diving and has many diving schools and multiple dive sites for all levels of divers ranging from Second World War sites to recently scuttled ships (with over 100 diving sites)
Find out more about what there is to do in Malta by reading our article here.
This article was written by Sophia Cuschieri
*** Articles You May Like ***
Experience Adventure and Adrenaline in Villars & Les Diablerets in Switzerland
Golden Hour at Chateau de Chillon on the Beautiful Montreux Riviera
****************************