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Birżebbuġa (; sometimes shortened to B'Buġa) is a seaside
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the Southern Region of
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 ...
, close to
Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishing and history. As of March 2014, the village had a populati ...
. It is approximately from the capital
Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
, and has a population of 9,736 as of March 2014. The town is popular among Maltese holidaymakers, and is known for its sandy beach, Pretty Bay. The town is also notable for its important archaeological sites, especially
Għar Dalam Għar Dalam (; "Cave of Dalam", Dalam being a fifteenth-century family name) is a 144-metre long phreatic tube and cave, located in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta. The cave contains the bones of animals that lived on Malta during the Plei ...
, Ta' Kaċċatura and
Borġ in-Nadur Borġ in-Nadur is an archaeological site located in open fields overlooking St George's Bay, near Birżebbuġa, Malta. It is occupied by a Tarxien phase megalithic temple as well as the remains of a Bronze Age village which includes the earlie ...
.


Etymology

"Birżebbuġa" means "well of olives" in the
Maltese language Maltese (, also or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic, late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance languages, Romance Stratum (linguistics), superstrata. It is the only Semitic languages, Semitic language pred ...
.


History


Prehistory

Għar Dalam Għar Dalam (; "Cave of Dalam", Dalam being a fifteenth-century family name) is a 144-metre long phreatic tube and cave, located in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta. The cave contains the bones of animals that lived on Malta during the Plei ...
is a natural cave and important archaeological site in Birżebbuġa. Għar Dalam was where the earliest evidence for human presence on Malta was discovered until excavations in Latnija Cave in 2025. Artefacts from Għar Dalam date back to the Neolithic Period some 7,400 years ago. The display area consists of two parts: the cave and the museum, which exhibit finds from animal bones to human artefacts. An overlaying river running at right angles formed the cave. It is some 144 metres deep, but only the first fifty metres are accessible to visitors. Other remains include those of a prehistoric temple and settlement,
Borġ in-Nadur Borġ in-Nadur is an archaeological site located in open fields overlooking St George's Bay, near Birżebbuġa, Malta. It is occupied by a Tarxien phase megalithic temple as well as the remains of a Bronze Age village which includes the earlie ...
, which dates from the Bronze Age. The settlement was fortified with a large stone wall, still visible today. These temple ruins are important because they reveal not only a four-apse temple (c.2000 BC), but a fortified Bronze Age domestic settlement. The remains of a large, defensive wall lie nearby, running across the head of a promontory between two valleys leading down to two bays. The wall was built facing inland. The village would have had the sea to its back. Scholars believe the people living in the village were more afraid of being attacked by invaders by land rather than from the sea. Birżebbuġa also has cart ruts that lead into the sea and run along the sea floor. Nearby Borġ in-Nadur, in the area of San Ġorġ can be found several Bronze Age silos, many of which have been destroyed.


Punic-Roman Period

Malta was colonised by the
Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...
in the 9th century BC and later formed part of the Carthaginian and
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
empires. An agricultural villa can be found across the valley from Għar Dalam, known as Ta' Kaċċatura, which dates to the Punic-Roman period. It features a large underground cistern and the complex formed part of an olive oil industry on the island in the Punic-Roman period.


Hospitaller Period

Malta was granted to the Order of St. John in 1530 by
Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...
and remained on the islands until the
French invasion of Malta The French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte successfully invaded the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo, then Hospitaller Malta, ruled by the Knights Hospitaller, in June 1798 as part of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, Mediter ...
in 1798. The Order built several military structures in Birżebbuġa, including
Saint George Redoubt Saint George Redoubt () is a redoubt in Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built in 1714–1716 by the Order of Saint John as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands. It is named after a chapel dedicated to St. George, whi ...
, Ferretti Battery, Pinto Battery and Bengħisa Tower. Other buildings from this period include Casa Ippolito ( Maltese: ''Dar ta' Pultu''), built in 1664, and St. George's Church.


Modern history

Malta became a
British crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...
in 1813 and remained so until independence in 1964. During the British period, Fort Benghisa,
RAF Kalafrana RAF Kalafrana was a seaplane operations centre on the southernmost tip of Malta between 1917 and 1946 when it was transferred to the Royal Navy. It played an important role in both world wars, starting as a base for anti-submarine and anti-pirac ...
and RAF Hal Far were built in Birżebbuġa. Churches built in this period include: * the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, Bengħisa (1822, enlarged in 1862), * the
Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...
Chapel (1865), * the Chapel of
Our Lady Help of Christians Mary, Help of Christians () is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based on a devotion now associated with a feast day of the General Roman Calendar on 24 May. John Chrysostom was the first to describe this title, in 345 AD. Don Bosco ...
(1839), private; *
St Joseph According to the Gospel, canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jews, Jewish man of Nazareth who was Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary, married to Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus ...
’s Chapel (1871), private; and * the Church of
Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...
(1909), which served as the parish church until 1938. Birżebbuġa became a formal parish on 9 September 1913, with a resident priest. * the Church of St. Peter in Chains (1938), parish church. A monument in Birżebbuġa commemorates the Malta Summit, which took place close by on 3 December 1989. Starting from 1988, the Malta Freeport in Birżebbuġa has served as a Mediterranean transshipment hub. The town is built around the beach, which puts it close to many shops and restaurants along the coastline. Some vacationers prefer the rocky shore in the neighbouring St George's Bay, ideal for sunbathing and snorkelling. Sailing is popular throughout the year. St George's Bay is also used by local fishermen who moor their boats at the inlet.


Transport

To get to Birzebbuga from Valletta you will have to board either the 82, 80 or X4 bus. The X4 passes every 30 minutes to Birzebbuga, 80 every hour and 82 passes every 15 minutes during the rush hour and 20–30 minutes at other times. There are two other routes that pass from Birzebbuga; route 210 which travels to and from Mater Dei Hospital and the
University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...
; and route 119 which travels through Birzebbuga and ends at the Malta International Airport and Marsascala.


Sports

The locality hosts a number of football teams. Birżebbuġa St. Peter's F.C. currently compete in Group A of the Maltese National Amateur League (after a merging of the now defunct
Maltese Second Division The Maltese Second Division (also known as the BOV Second Division due to sponsorship reasons) was the third-highest division in Maltese football until 2020 when it was merged with the Maltese Third Division to create the National Amateur Le ...
and the Maltese Third Division), after languishing at the bottom of Maltese football for years. The highest tier Birzebbugia St. Peter's has played in was the Maltese First Division. The club was promoted to this division in 2010, due to a league expansion, but was subsequently relegated in 2015. As well as its Seniors' team, the club also possesses a prosperous nursery which is run by Birzebbuga Windmills FC. Birzebbuga St. Peters' is also in a collaboration with a newly founded futsal team, Birzebbuga St. Peters' FC Futsal, which is competing in the Maltese Futsal Fourth Division Section A . Apart from these clubs, an amateur football team is also present, Birzebbuga Tigers FC. Birzebbuga also has its own water polo team, Birzebbuga A.S.C. (also known as Birzebbugia Freeport), which plays in the Maltese Waterpolo First Division. Furthermore, Birzebbuga has its own 'Boċċi' club, which competes in the Second Division of the Maltese Bocci Federation League.


Zones in Birżebbuġa

*Bengħisa *
Borġ in-Nadur Borġ in-Nadur is an archaeological site located in open fields overlooking St George's Bay, near Birżebbuġa, Malta. It is occupied by a Tarxien phase megalithic temple as well as the remains of a Bronze Age village which includes the earlie ...
*Brolli *Girgħien *
Għar Dalam Għar Dalam (; "Cave of Dalam", Dalam being a fifteenth-century family name) is a 144-metre long phreatic tube and cave, located in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta. The cave contains the bones of animals that lived on Malta during the Plei ...
*Għar Ħasan, limits of Ħal Far *
Ħal Far Ħal Far is the largest industrial estate in Malta. It is at the southern extreme of Malta, between the localities of Birżebbuġa, Safi and Żurrieq. In the past, Ħal Far housed the RAF Hal Far airfield, which was known as HMS Falcon when i ...
*Kalafrana *L-Arblu, limits of Ħal Far *L-Artal, limits of Ħal Far *L-Imwadar, limits of Bengħisa *Pretty Bay (Il-Bajja s-Sabiħa) *Qajjenza *St. George's Bay (Bajja San Ġorġ) *Ta' Ġiliġejla, limits of Bengħisa *Ta' Salvun, limits of Ħal Far *Ta' Sansajna *Ta' Żgħer, limits of Ħal Far *Tal-Għawejra, limits of Ħal Far *Tal-Papa *Tal-Kuġin *Tax-Xerriek *Wied Dalam *Wied il-Buni *Wied ix-Xoqqa, limits of Bengħisa *Wied Qoton *Wied Żembaq *Wied Żnuber, limits of Ħal Far *Xoqqiet, limits of Bengħisa


Twin towns

* Porto San Giorgio,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
* Azas,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...


Gallery

File:Birzebbuga Church.JPG, Birżebbuġa during the feast of St. Peter in Chains. File:Nicpmi-1706-1 - Birzebbuga - Chapel Immaculate Conception.jpg, Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, Bengħisa File:Chapel of the Holy Family, Birżebbuġa (side).jpg, Chapel of the Holy Family, Birżebbuġa File:St. Joseph's Chapel, Birżebbuġa (side).jpg, St. Joseph's Chapel, Birżebbuġa File:Malta und Gozo Nov 2014 19.JPG, Malta Freeport and salt pans in Birżebbuġa


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birzebbuga Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta Mediterranean port cities and towns in Malta