“Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, this my own my native land.” These oft-quoted lines from The Lay of the Last Minstrel by Walter Scott (1771- 1832), best known in Malta for his famous quip about Valletta being “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”, express the bitter feelings of true Maltese who are threatened by the new mulas (landlords) whose arrogance and haughtiness know no bounds, depriving them of their birthright to roam and enjoy their native land.
Admittedly, there is a fever in the land as our birthrights are being trampled upon with impunity. In his poem, also known as The Patriot, Scott condemns those who condone this usurpation of native land rich in archaeology to the dustbin of history “Unwept, unhonoured and unsung”.
Now that the election dust has settled and some semblance of normality has, thankfully, returned, the main political parties are all flaunting their pious commitment to conserve and preserve our priceless patrimony and natural environment enriched by breathtaking archaeological remains constantly in potential peril.
It is high time for Heritage Malta and the Land Department to take stock of the wanton neglect being perpetrated to our national heritage and take immediate action to stop the rot.
My focus today is on iconic and mysterious Ras ir-Raħeb, limits of idyllic Baħrija, where marauding land sharks abound ready to pounce on whoever dares to step on spacium comune (common land) or the garigue, home of the honey bee.
It is high time to take stock of the wanton neglect being perpetrated to our national heritage
and to stop the rot
Hefty uncouth vigilantes harass and intimidate unsuspecting ramblers who innocently venture to trek down its ancient pathways to visit the archaeological cornucopia emanating from this unique site.
The other day, a member of the Ramblers Association visiting the area had the police knocking at his residence warning him not to trespass in the sacred spot of Ras ir-Raħeb.
On another occasion that same week, a lonely hiker from Żejtun trekking in the beautiful Delimara plateau at Ras il-Fenek was similarly harassed and intimidated by a pseudo farmer and wild dogs were let loose as reported in The Sunday Times of Malta (June 1).
As the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Ramblers Association edges nearer, this organisation will be intensifying its activities with the full support of the European Ramblers Association and Unesco representatives intent to prove that it was a resounding success.
Baħrija and its environs, which include Ras ir-Raħeb, are rightly considered as the showcase of the Maltese countryside encapsulating areas of great scenic beauty enhanced by geological features and remarkable extensive archaeological and historical remains stretching from pre-history to the Roman period and the Middle Ages.
Given such an idyllic setting with its fantastic flora and fauna it is hardly surprising that it is a ramblers’ paradise with the Ramblers Association being extremely sensitive to any disturbance, development or impediments that prevent genuine ramblers from the physical, mental and spiritual enjoyment that remote Ras ir-Raħeb in the north-west of Malta offers.
The secluded bay of Fomm ir-Riħ is flanked on one side by an expansive plateau known as Ras ir-Raħeb (headland of the hermit) and Ras il-Knejjes (headland of churches), remarkable for its exceptional scenic views but mainly for its vast archaeological remains first noted by the Order’s historian G. Bosio and subsequently described by G.F. Abela, the father of Maltese historiography in his Descritzione di Malta, published in 1647.
In 1922, the owner of the land, Count Stagno Palermo, informed the well-known archaeologist, Sir Temi Zammit, that the farmer who tilled the shallow soil came across some interesting remains as meticulously described in Museum Annual Report (Malta) 1922. Zammit strongly recommended that “the site should be kept in mind as one that could be studied and excavated with profit”.
Subsequent excavations indicated that, as the two toponyms of the locality might suggest, a structure of the Roman period may have been utilised in the Middle Ages as a church or hermitage.
According to Reuben Grima, of Heritage Malta, “one of the enigmatic finds at Ras ir-Raħeb was a small ivory plaque showing a boar which may be a reference to one of the labours of Hercules”. These remains at such a strategic maritime location facing the distant horizon suggest a Phoenician temple dedicated to Melqart, later transformed by the Romans (c 218BC ), as was the fashion, into the Temple of Hercules.
Anthony Bonanno also mentions another figurine “probably Hercules with a lion skin tied in a knot round his waste”. He notes that the site yielded coins that ranged from “Sicilian Punic (Republican period) to a late Roman one of Costantius II (337- 361 AD)”.
David Trump, a Cambridge don, formerly curator of the National Museum, states: “Even more remarkable is Ras ir-Raħeb, a certain archaeological site with two substantial orthostats (large stones set upright) but no sherds earlier than Punic” (Malta-Prehisory and Temples, Malta 2004).
The tiled forecourt also suggests the venue of ritual practices.
The locality also yielded a vast array of terracotta figurines of the Roman period that were probably produced in moulds.
Mario Buhagiar, a prominent art historian, concludes a comprehensive study of the site published in Melita Historica 1988 with the following recommendation: “Finally, mention ought to be made to a small quarry of unknown antiquity to the immediate south of the site. It is possible that it provided the stone for the building of the complex.”
That this immeasurable wealth of archaeology is at the mercy of vandalism and the elements makes a mockery of our much-vaunted pride in our patrimony. This archaeological site protected by majestic cliffs, which our remote ancestors inhabited in Homeric times, is inaccessible to the new generation of Maltese citizens, the proud heirs of this national patrimony.
Inevitably, the outrage of the genuine Maltese rambler is directed towards the issue of ownership because the land that constitutes most of our countryside is a legal entity; it is property with ownership allocated to institutions, the nobility, various persons, farmers and others.
Consequently, it is only fair that the legal owners rightly expect remuneration if they are to release their title.
Fully conscious of the historical and archaeological importance of Ras ir-Raħeb, and perfectly in line with colonial government policy when the Ħaġar Qim zone was taken over in the late 1900, the government, in 1975, started expropriation procedures through the Land Department but, 10 years ago, we were informed that they are still being processed.
As a potential World Heritage Site, Ras ir-Raħeb is undoubtedly eligible for massive financial support from Unesco and the European Union so adequate compensation is paid to the present owners.