Winter and spring bring out a new facet to the countryside and the rains give it a new appearance - fresh and green. Venturing out, you'll find some interesting spots. One of these is Wied Babu and the surrounding area.
A prominent landmark in the scenario is the well-preserved Xarolla windmill at Żurrieq which stretches back to the times of the Knights of St John. Within the vicinity of Ta' Xarolla, the palaeo-Christian catacombs indicate that a Christian group of people live in this locality during the early centuries of Christianity in Malta.
Driving west from Żurrieq on the way to Wied iż-Żurrieq, one comes to a turn in the road to the south, recently embellished. The beginning of Wied Babu - one of the most scenic and interesting valleys in Malta is just below. Rambling down is not easy, and risky especially in wet weather.
The valley is generally enveloped in serene tranquaility and contains several endemic speacies such as the national plant - the rock centaury in Maltese Widnet il-Baħar, the long stemmed orchid and the salt tree Xebb. The Starfruit - Damasonju - sometimes grows in small pools.
The centaury - Widnet il-baħar was first discribed by Stegano Zerafa in 1837 and on the suggestion of the Natural History Society (now part of Nature Trust) it was officially designated as Malta's national plant in 1971. Among other plants there is the Spurge or Tengħut tax-Xagħri, hawthorn, ivy, rosemary, wild carrot, etc. In the past it was frequented by various birds, such as blue rockthrushes, warblers, sparrows, robins, wild pigeons, swallows, martins and also ome bats. When I was a lad, a very small spring used to flow down the valley for some weeks of the year.
The beauty of nature is a patrimony that should be enjoyed and protected. The Natural History Society, Bird Lide, Nature Trust and Din l-Art Ħelwa have done a lot of good and brought about more awareness of our natural and historical heritage. Teachers also play an important part in this respect.
Wied Babu, Wied tal-Brandina, Wied Magħlaw and the landscape around are very interesting. The cliffs have been fashioned by nature and the elements over the millennia. There are ridges, crags and dangerous slopes. Both from the place known as Il-Munqar and in the limits of Żurrieq there are beautiful views. The top of these cliffs which enjoy fairwinds, tower above the Mediterranean which in sunny weather reflect their image. The grotto has a rugged splendour. opposite the cliffs, about seven kilometers away, is the Islet of Filfla.
This part of Malta also presents a noteworthy topographic feature - Tal Maqluba which is the largest karstic depression in our islands. Tal-Maqluba which is approximately 32 metres deep was formed around November 1343 when due to underground erosion, water and interacting influences, the roof of a huge underground cavern collapsed. St Matthew church lies close by Tal-Maqluba.
There is a certain remoteness in this locality. The X ray of imagination, stimulated by pastoral scenes, can, to some extent reveal something of what it could have looked like in the past. The life of most of the farmers was in the past linked with the rythm and pattern of the seasons: With seed-time and harvest-time, autumn, winter, spring and summer. They must have worked hard to earn a living. Infant mortality was very high up to the beginning of last century.
I remember in my young years, grain being threshed as it was since time immemorial on a circular threshing floor of hard trampled earth (qiegħa). The grain was stacked in nearly circular piles about 14 metres in diameter and one metre high. Horses, mules or oxen were driven around and through it, dragging spiked rollers to separate the heads of wheat or barley from the straw.
After about two or three days of this activity, winnowing began, by the use of large wooden forkes and relying on the wind to carry the chaff away as men, women and teenagers, again for a few days, tossed the grain and straw into the air.
It is obvious that this locality has seen some human activity since very ancient times. Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra lie only about two and a half kilometers from Wied Babu. Of special note are some old rustic farmhouses and the Misqa tanks which were probably dug by Bronze Age people. The old houses at Mqabba and Qrendi still retain the so-called Mixrabija. This was a sort of covered stone balcony which allowed the tenants or others to watch the street below.
The Mintna Paleo Christian catacomb at Mqabba is dated to approximately 400 AD. The very old small cemetery at Mqabba where many plague victims were buried also deserves a mention. At the periphery of Qrendi there are two dolmens one known as Misraħ tas-Sinjura and in Qrendi there is a fortified farm with a small tower which dates back to late mediaeval times.
Up to a century-and-a-half ago, the rural family was by and large, the economic unti within the villages. During the last one hundred years or so, many sons and daughters of farmers left the land for less strenous work and got away from what they felt the disadvantages attached to the calling of their fathers. These young people in general had been educated to an awareness of new possibilities of economic and social life outside farming and also the village community which bred them and did well in other occupations.
The average age of the Maltese farmer is now higher than that of a century ago. There is in general a significant distinction to be made between the older generation of farmers proper and the younger generation whose direct attachment to the land and farming is weaker. If one turns to a consideration of the way of life and living standards in the village community this change is apparent.