Malta’s top hits

A typical country scene with rubble walls (click to enlarge)

UNESCO has asked all countries to propose a few local elements or traditions that are particular and originating from that country. These 5 were enlisted for Malta: the making of the ftira Maltija (flat Maltese loaf), bizzilla (Maltese lace making), għana (traditional folk singing), brilli (a Gozitan game) and gold embroidery. It may take up to 18 months for the selection committee to decide on the winner/s. However, a big controversy arose lately about a sixth possible nominee, which is the traditional rubble wall. When the Arabs came to Malta in 869 AD, they found an arid land, denuded of its forests long before by Carthaginians and Romans who needed wood, loads of it, for their heated baths and galleons. With the trees gone, it only took a couple of years for the topsoil to be washed into the sea, baring the naked rock underneath.

A close up of a part of a rubble wall.

Minimalistic, diligent and ingenious as the Arabs were, they were ingenious in creating terraced fields suited for the hilly landscape, by scraping and preserving every grain of soil they collected after having removed the stones to build protective walls around the new-born fields with them. No cement, no mortar, no costs.....just skill, sweat, and diligence. The rubble wall was born - the birth of our Islands. Overnight it became possible for the population to grow its food and improve its living conditions. Maybe the rubble wall should also be also considered. Over the next few weeks, I will share with you some more reflections on the other nominees.