Ħondoq ir-Rummien ("

Pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

Moat" , the coastline below the village of Qala,

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

is dotted with traditional salt pans, some of which are still actively used to harvest

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

throughout the summer months. On this coast is a small cove, Ħondoq ir-Rummien, which is popular among snorkelers due to its deep and clear water as well as the small caves located at sea level. The cove has a view of

Comino Comino () is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents a ...

. A small promontory on the southwest side also shelters a small white sand beach.

Geography

Ħondoq ir-Rummien, a coastal area and bay in Qala, is one of the few remaining tracts of open countryside left in the Maltese Islands. The sea in this area has some of the cleanest and clearest water in all of Malta and Gozo, attracting locals and divers alike. The area is also a habitat for dwindling communities of rare plants. Ħondoq ir-Rummien, in the area stretching from the depth of the quarry and eastwards along the rocky cliffside, as of 2012, is being threatened by a proposed development plan to build a five star hotel catering for 170 beds, approximately 25 self-catering villas, 60 self-catering units, 200 multi-ownership residences, 731 underground parking spaces, 10 retail units, 5 dining facilities and a marina for between 100 and 150 craft depending on the size of the vessels.

Human activity

At Ħondoq-ir-Rummien, there is a sea-water distillation plant, which was originally constructed there in the 1960s against the will of Gozitans and at significant expense by the Nationalist Party government. The plant was completed only in 2019, thanks to an EU grant. In the early 2000s, proposals to build a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

were considered by the government. Public opposition to the potential destruction of the coastline halted plans for more than a decade before the plans were denied in 2013.

References

External links

Photos and Info
Coasts Geography of Malta Qala, Malta Beaches of Malta {{malta-geo-stub