HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tigné Point is a peninsula in
Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...
,
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 ...
. The area was originally occupied by several fortifications and a British barracks complex, which were left derelict for many years, until the area was redeveloped in the early 21st century. The area now contains many modern buildings and is popular among both locals and tourists. The peninsula was originally known as ''Punta di Santa Maria'', and its extremity is also known as Dragut Point.


History

The local militia had a small watch post on what is now Tigné Point in 1417. During the
Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese language, Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May t ...
of 1565, the Ottoman admiral
Dragut Dragut (; 1485 – 23 June 1565) was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended across North Africa. Recognized for his military genius, and as being among "the ...
stationed a number of cannons at Tigné Point in a siege to capture
Fort Saint Elmo Fort Saint Elmo () is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ri ...
from the Order of Saint John. He was killed by stray gunfire from the fort during the siege, and the extremity of the peninsula still bears his name, Dragut Point. After the Great Siege, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady under various titles was built instead of a niche that was already in the area. In 1757, Lembi Battery was built in the area, and it became obsolete in 1792, when the Order built its last major fortification, Fort Tigné. The new fort, which later gave the area its name, played a significant role in the French invasion of 1798 and the subsequent Maltese uprising. Between 1878 and 1886, when Malta was under British rule, Cambridge Battery was built on Tigné Point to house a single 100-ton gun. In the 1890s, Garden Battery was built to cover the area between Cambridge Battery and Fort Tigné. The British also built military barracks and a chapel dedicated to St. Luke on the peninsula. When the British forces left in 1979, the barracks and the whole area fell into decay and neglect. Parts of both Fort Tigné and the British barracks were plundered or vandalized. Garden Battery was buried and buildings were constructed over it, while Cambridge Battery was used as a restaurant, hotel and swimming pool.


Present day

Since the redevelopment project, Tigné Point has changed considerably. The modern buildings, easy accessibility and other factors helped transform the area from neglected abandoned barracks to a popular area which is frequented by both locals and tourists as it has a number of attractions. The Fort Cambridge apartments, which were completed in 2012, are among the tallest buildings in Malta. The Point Shopping Mall opened in early 2010, built on the site of the former Tigné Barracks. Parts of the mall in Pjazza Tigné still contain some architectural elements of the barracks, including a series of arches that run along the square. The Point is Malta's largest shopping mall and it contains about 17,000m2 of retail floor space spread over three levels. It includes a supermarket and over 50 other shops.


References


External links


Official websiteOfficial developer websiteOfficial The Point Mall website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tigne Point Peninsulas of Malta Shopping centres in Malta Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Malta Sliema