Xlejli Tower (formerly spelt Shilejli Tower, mt, Torri tax-Xlejli or ''Torri Xulliela''), also known as Bettina Tower, is a

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

Gudja Gudja is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 3,148 as of March 2017. The village is located on high grounds, south of Valletta. It is administered by the Gudja Local Council. A number of schools, clubs, public garden ...

, Malta. It was probably built as a

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

since it has views over a large area of land. The age of the tower is not known, and it could date back to the Roman or medieval periods, or possibly a later reconstruction. The tower is now located in the grounds of

Palazzo Dorell Palazzo Dorell (French: Palais d'AurelZammit Tabona, Kenneth (2015)"The Age of Elegance" Miranda Publishers.) also known as Bettina Palace, is a 17th-century Palladian palace located in Gudja, Malta. History The property was built during the Or ...

, and it is closed to the public.

History

Its date of construction is not known, but it might have Roman origins. According to , the historian of the Order of St. John, an urn full of Roman

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

medals was found at the tower. The tower also has a round shape, similar to other

Punic-Roman towers in Malta The remains of six Punic-Roman towers have been identified in Malta. They are believed to have been built while the island was part of the Punic or Roman Empires. Their architecture suggests a late Punic origin, and they remained in use throug ...

. It is believed that the remains of an old and round building are those of a

. The Xlejli Tower was built in the parametres of these remains in an architectural style to appear as a ‘ruined’ tower. The oldest reference to the tower dates back to 1570, when it was described as a lookout tower built in the 12th or 13th century. The tower was almost definitely built as a

, since it has views of the southern part of Malta, stretching from Bengħisa to the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and ...

. In the 17th century, the

was built close to the tower, and the latter was included in its grounds within a large walled garden. Since then, the tower has been closed for the public. The palace was the property of Marquees Bettina Testaferrata Dorell, and she restored the tower and decorated its interior. Due to this, it also became known as ''Bettina Tower'' after her. She had actually named it as ''Xlejli'', which has a literal meaning of "tacked together" in old Maltese.Chambry, D.; Trumb, David H. (1978)
"Country Life, Volume 165"
1979, Nagel Publishers, , p. 844. Some sources suggest that though the foundations of the old tower were retained on site, the present tower was built within the remains around 1780. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, a bomb fell close to the tower, destroying a statue. The bomb also destroyed an entire orchard. The tower is built of Maltese limestone and purposely used shiny pieces of glass, with an appearance of a ruined tower (hence the name).

References

Gudja Fortified towers in Malta {{Malta-struct-stub