Maltese story

Malta is quite capable of occupying the honorable place in the Guinness Book of Records as a country with the most dismanting history. Only very lazy conquerors and pirates did not visit here. Romans and Arabs, saints and sinful, knights, Napoleon, Mussolini left on three main islands Malta memory of themselves. There is literally at every step there is a historical trail.

Walk in time

I’m moving slow. Following thousands of travelers I repeat: Malta is small. And the capital of Valletta is also small. 82 Steps, and New Quarter. This, for which I go, is still big. Before the previous intersection was 76 steps. At noon on narrow streets do not pour. The noise-gams are terrible, tourists will join souvenir laurels. Local residents are dying each other, gathering with packs, hal. But now for three hours of the day. Street streets. Four will become deserted. Life here is similar to the wind: Suddenly, silence will open and calm, it will turn off, reversed the body, affairs and feelings, and suddenly hits.

Where would you in Malta settled, first come to Valletta. From the entrance gate, go straight through the republic Street, not folding, in ten minutes you will find yourself on the square in front of the Fort of St. Elma. Next to the fort, right, diorama "Malta Exprise", Where the film is shown about the history of Malta with comments in Russian. Looking at him, you can competently plan the route and do not limit yourself to a sea bathing, viewing houses with multicolored balconies, Maltese boats Dais and Lutsk and other cute eyes of landscapes.

Wind power has not yet defined the turns of Maltese history. A few years ago, a hurricane destroyed the temple of Jagia on the island of Gozo, erected in 3600 BC.NS. Temple, like a crown, crowned the top of the mountain. The first question that worries tourists who are nearby:

– How it was built?

– Perhaps – patiently explains the guide – these huge boulders were delivered with the help of round stones found here or ropes from oak fibers – in the era of Neolithic on the island were forests, "sorry, I think, I did not preserve, in summer the shadow on these semi-honey mountains would not interfere. – Many secrets in Malta. People of the Neolithic era, who knew how to handle gigantic cobblestones, left after themselves the very first of them: they took and suddenly disappeared.

The next historical plot of Maltese people love more others, which are even ready to admit, although they are usually not inclined to issue their preferences. In 60 g. N.NS. Apostle Paul, who taught Christianity and for that convicted, went to Rome to his own court. The ship sailed from Crete, but he got into the storm and four-to-reach days hopelessly rushed across the sea. Then got stranded. "Melit" – so called this land Evangelist Luka, accompanied by Paul.

Where the locals met Paul with satellites, which were, by the way, two hundred seventy-three people, now the city of Rabat and Mdina. In the slave on the sunny square, Maltese men are going to swim and drink a glass of wine, and the Church of St. Paul is built nearby. In it, a small grown in stone, where Paul prayed. Down the steps. Twilight. Chilly. No pompous. Here is the center of the Maltese Church.

Unique and catacombs, entrance to which almost opposite, if you cross the area. They began to build immediately after sailing Paul. The apostle left Malta when finished blowing the winter wind. Luka calls it "Evroclidon". In Maltese it is Gregal.

The exact location where Paul landed on the beach was preserved only on a historical map, while the bay, which included the heroes of the next story – the Knights of the Order of St. John, opens with any tourist. This is a big harbor, clearly prominent with a cafe terrace "Malta Exprise". To the right of the entrance of the staircase, to go down on which it is possible to go straight to the sea and rocks. Excursions do not water there, so in the bay is cursing. Nowhere in the city there is no such feeling: a double row of the high powerful fortress walls of Valletta remains behind the back, ahead, through the blue bay, the residence of the Knights of the Maltese Order, and at the slightest rustle whether not to the legs.

Mail for Gold Fish

In Mdina, the former capital of Malta before the arrival of knights, winding streets and houses flowing one in another. In the city, as in former times, Maltese nobles live. Mdina is called silent, and indeed, the inhabitants are not visible, only the escape tourists, stolen ones, and the Carrocyne Castle, a small Keba, who is famously taken out due to turn, and you need to bounce back to the wall, because otherwise you can not dismiss.

Maltese arrivals of the knights took not so warm as the Apostle Paul. To good guests, however, are always better than the unexpected neighbors. Inhabitants of Mdina presented the Great Magist Order The keys to the city and continued their measured life. Before appearing in Malta, "Wanderers" Lived in one of the hospitals of Jerusalem and defended pilgrims from Muslims, then they were engaged in the same in Cyprus and Rhodes.

And in 1530, the Spanish King of Karl V, the Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire, forever gave ordinar Malta. Through 35 years, the island attacked Turks. Against 40 thousand Yanychar stood only 9 thousand Maltesers, of which only 600 were knights. During the great siege, the rivals tried all the means of intimidation. Once, for example, Turkish Pasha Suleiman magnificent ordered a quarters of prisoners of Maltese warriors, bind pieces of bodies to the boards and throw in the sea so that they sail to the castle of the Great Master. In response, Magister ordered to beheaded all the prisoners of the Turks and their heads to shoot from guns. Maltese won the battle.

After the end of the war, the foot of Mount Schiberras laid the first building of the future city – the chapel of Madonna Victory. The city was called the name of the Grand Master Jean Pariso de la Valletta. By the way, the Knight did not survive in all military pollocks until the end of construction. At the age of 76, he died on the hunt, awkwardly falling off the horse. The Great Hero was a modest growth – 152 cm, with gel and rare red hair.

Cool devices of turbulent Maltese history is made to explain the location of the island. But there is a very thin version, pleasant people with romantic imagination. To understand what speech is on the island of Gozo to visit the grotto Nymph Calypso. If you believe Homer, then she set the Odyssey returned from the Trojan War on Gozo (Homer calls Ohigiya Island) and held it there seven years. In Calypso grotto, we went down the narrow cleft and found themselves in a cave overlooking the sea and a red sand beach. Further, by tradition, it was necessary to sit on a stone, the primitive prototype of the salon sofa, and, like Calypso, shout in the distance: "Where are you, my men?" It is believed that after this removal from the grooms will not. Stupid, of course. But we shouted. Fascinating. So, if we assume that Nymph Calypso was engaged in this since ancient times, it becomes clear why men rushed here in such quantities.