Albeit saddened, I read with interest Mark Anthony Falzon’s ‘Councils in search of an idea’, (The Sunday Times of Malta, August 10).
The reconstruction of il-Bieb tal-Furdulis, as it was colloquially known, has been on the agenda since it was conveniently and unceremoniously destroyed by the British Military in 1943 to clear the way to the Ta’ Qali airfield prior to the invasion of Sicily.
Notwithstanding a popular desire, subsequent attempts to rebuild the gate proved futile.
Structurally it might not be the Marble Arch or the Arc de Triomphe but for many this monument was a project that had a massive impact on the social fabric of Maltese society.
It was a tribute to Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt, whose determination and funding not only brought life to the new capital, but it also meant that communities started to develop along the route from Rabat to Valletta. For more than 200 years the aqueduct met all the requirements of Attard, Lija, Balzan, Birkirkara, Mosta, Żebbuġ, Ħamrun, Qormi and Valletta. The availability of water in these areas brought about an increase in the population, which reached 114,000 by 1798. Restorations were eventually undertaken by Grand Masters Ramon Despuig and Emanuel de Rohan.
Il-Bieb tal-Furdulis was an acknowledgement of the skills of hydroengineer Bontadino de Bontadini, whose engineering feat of delivering water by gravity succeeded where others failed. Equally represented are the hundreds of Maltese workers who laboured for five years to bring the project to fruition. Not least, Gianni Attard, the capo maestro who devised the arches when the unexpected drop in terrain occurred in Attard.
But for we who have lived most of our life in the locality we are attached to the Bieb tal-Furdulis because our home town owes its name to the three fleur-de-Lys topping the arch.
Indeed, the gate has given us identity and a strong sense of belonging, which in later years also had its fair share of history. Actually, the first elected administrative committee of Fleur-de-Lys pushed hard to kick-start the project in 2010.
Rather than quibbling over the name of the structure, let there be a lasting memory for posterity of what il-Bieb tal-Furdulis stood for.