Heritage in peril

Heritage Malta, in conjunction with the Cambridge Templeton Consortium, recently hosted the Third Annual International Conference entitled Island Fragility And Culture Resources in a Gozo hotel. As the conference was waxing lyrical about the rich archaeological heritage of the Maltese islands, a site in Ras il-Wardija, a picturesque promontory overlooking Xlendi and Dwejra, in Gozo, was in the process of being completely taken over by unscrupulous third parties, depriving others of the benefits of outdoor pursuits and the enjoyment of historical sites.

Undoubtedly, the deliberations of the conference will be analysed, assessed and recorded but the rapacious rape of our islands will continue unabated. With accelerating rapidity, the countryside is being continuously and systematically eroded of our national monuments and more tracts of land, previously used by the public for generations, have been rendered inaccessible.

The recent incidents at Ras il-Wardija - a site excavated in the mid-1960s by a team from the Italian archaeological mission - when a group from the European Union were physically threatened while attempting to visit this archaeological site, deserve to be seriously investigated. On the same site a well-known French professor, the discoverer of a local mediaeval chapel in 1994, who has written extensively on our history including a highly acclaimed guide book, had to face the insults of a gun-toting presumed farmer as he was walking along the narrow winding path leading to Ras il-Wardija.

It is well to record that this site is not only unique for its scenic beauty and unequalled sea and country views but also for the Punic-Hellenic sacred complex with a rock-cut sanctuary; besides, pre-historic remains in the area include cart-ruts and Bronze Age pottery.

Unfortunately, the situation is not better on the tongue of land overlooking Ras ir-Raheb, a Bronze Age site considered as the last phase of the Maltese Bronze Age (c 900-700 BC). What used to be a public path running across the spine of this massive promontory is now permanently closed and the numerous silos (bell-shaped pits) used by our defence-minded forefathers for the storage of grain or water are concealed from public view.

A sense of horror, outrage and national disgrace pervades the discerning ramblers as they witness the systematic disappearance of our heritage. The minor necropolis of Qallilija, near Gomerino (limits of Rabat), a cluster of Phoenician rock-cut tombs, has been partly obliterated by dumping of debris, notorious in the area. Cart-ruts have suffered the same fate.

The list is endless... Another site that has been brought to my attention is the small hamlet of Ta' Baldu, limits of Dingli, an idyllic site among Malta's most fertile orchards, protected by high rubble walls unique in these islands. The ownership of the whole area has recently changed hands and the previously public path across Ta' Baldu estate has been suddenly declared private property.

What is even more disturbing is the fact that a huge cistern, known as Roman bath, complete with original clay pipes for irrigation purposes, falls within or in close proximity of this estate. University students felt intimidated when they went there on a study tour. Unfortunately, the traditional hospitality of the Maltese peasant, equipped with state-of-the art machinery, has, in some cases, dramatically changed into arrogant hostility.

Is-Simblija, a mediaeval site overlooking fertile Wied Hazrun near Il-Qattara (limits of Dingli), with its mediaeval chapel discovered by the French professor in 1994, was superbly restored by the government and other supporting agencies.

Although heavily compensated, some farmers adopt a hostile attitude towards visitors to this idyllic site as one approaches it with caution and trepidation. Students and academics approaching mysterious Misqa, overlooking pre-historic Mnajdra, are similarly treated.

The list is endless... Overlooking picturesque Wied Liemu (Rabat) stands the mediaeval church of Il-Lunzjata. The perimeter wall that delineates the confines of this mediaeval complex, arguably the first hermitage in these islands, is articulated by an ornate arch, recently damaged and partly destroyed but still standing defiantly over the pastoral landscape crying for repair. Even the Roman road leading to the arch has been flattened out to serve the needs of some pseudo farmers.

Along the length and breadth of the Maltese islands, from Delimara Point to the archaeological site of Ras il-Wardija (Gozo) and from Madliena Heights to Fomm ir-Rih, alleyways, pathways and historical sites have been usurped and our ever-shrinking countryside made inaccessible even to genuine researchers and academics. Various tactics are used to intimidate us; like many other ramblers on many occasions I have been threatened with shotgun and ferocious dogs.

Should our rich heritage be at the mercy of those who, legally or otherwise, misappropriate land that belongs to us all by birthright? This is a genuine plea from someone who believes in the resilience of our people with the conviction that Malta deprived of 7,000 years of civilisation would be a grey and dismal place... but in the end any revitalisation of the nation will have to come from our national leaders.

Mr Bugeja is president of the Ramblers' Association of Malta.