A rare medieval architectural feature, a legacy of the island’s Arabic heritage, has been granted special protection by the Planning Authority.

The PA has scheduled 36 historic buildings which include on their façade the Mediterranean Muxrabija, a window-like feature which originated in North Africa and the Middle East in the seventh century.

Designed to cool the building interior by allowing the breeze to circulate through the trelliswork, as well as allowing women to look onto the street without being seen, the Muxrabija first appeared in Maltese architecture in the late Middle Ages, through cultural contact with the Arab world.  They were also used as a cooling device for water storage and as a security measure to see who was at the door or on the approaching roads.

The Muxrabija first appeared in Maltese architecture in the late Middle Ages, through cultural contact with the Arab world

Muxrabiji with a security component are most commonly found in villages whose inhabitants lived away from the safety of Mdina and fortified cities around the harbour area, evident in the geographic distribution of the surviving specimens.

The Maltese examples feature distinct characteristics: older ones are constructed in local limestone, with more modern ones made out of timber. They are small in size and often carry a crude shape and rather simplistic design, probably meant to render them inconspicuous and add to their surveillance potential.

In some places the Arab term Mashrabiyah also refers to balconies having equally intricately designed screens. These are found mainly in Egypt and were an important status symbol for the owners of the houses to which they were attached.

The properties scheduled by the PA, with Grade 2 protection status, are found in Balzan, Birkirkara, Lija, Marsascala, Naxxar, Qrendi, Qormi, Rabat, Siġġiewi, Żabbar, Żebbug and Żejtun, as well Victoria, Għasri, Għarb and San Lawrenz in Gozo.