Time warp to the mediaevals and Game of Thrones - City of Valletta 131; L-Għana, a Maltese folksong tradition 01681
What and Why
Valletta's 16th-century CE buildings have now been recognised as the backdrop of the famed television series Game of Thrones. The city main architecture is Baroque, adding elements of neo-classicism really put one back into a mediaeval fantasy. The city was ruled successively by the Phoenicia (Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍, Kenāʿan), Ancient Greece (Greek: Ἑλλάς, Hellás), Carthage (Phoenician: 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕, Qrt Ḥdšt), Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum), Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βασιλεία Ρωμαίων, Basileía Rhōmaíōn), Ottoman Empire (Arabic: دولت عثمانيه, Devlet-i ʿOsmānīye) and the Order of the Knights of Saint John (Latin: Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani) and hence the city oozes heritage and history everywhere. In fact, the city is considered so beautiful that the ruling houses of Europe nicknamed it 'superbissima', meaning 'most proud' in Latin.
The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: L-Assedju l-Kbir) in the mid-16th century CE had a profound impact on the cityscape. It captured the European imagination and mobilised the government's resources needed to create the new fortified city of Valletta. The city was designed by some of the most respected European military engineers of the period, with the concept of a city as a holistic creation of the late Renaissance, with a uniform grid plan within heavy city walls.
Toponymy
The name Valletta came from one of its Grandmasters Jean Parisot de la Valette, while the meaning of Valette remains untraceable. Malta is derived from the Greek word 'μέλι (meli)' meaning 'honey' due to its earlier honey industry.
See
Valletta is a tiny 'city' if it can be called a city at all. If you walk around without stopping, it can be completed within half an hour from end-to-end.
City Gate (Bieb il-Belt) and Triton's Fountain (Il-Funtana tat-Tritoni)
The fountain, Triton's Fountain (Il-Funtana tat-Tritoni) was designed to blend with the Victorian-era Kingsgate, which was ironically demolished five years after the fountain was completed.
Triton Fountain.
Valletta Fortification (Is-Swar tal-Belt Valletta)
A good walk around Triq Marsamxett to Saint Elmo Place and then along the main thoroughfare Republic Street (Triq ir-Repubblika). The view is breathtaking as it is considered one of the nicest harbours due to its historic buildings.
Saint John's Co-Cathedral (Kon-Katidral ta' San Ġwann)
A rather austere and plain church facade, the Saint John's Co-Cathedral (Kon-Katidral ta' San Ġwann), which looks like a fort more than a cathedral, was built by the Order of Saint John during the 16th century CE. The church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (Aramaic: יוחנן שליחא, Yohanān Shliḥā). The interior of the church is extremely ornate. Especially to notice are some of the trompe-l'oeil artworks which feature illusions of three-dimensionality.
The extremely ornate interior of Saint John's Cathedral.
There are a number small chapels dedicated to the eight langues (national sections) of the Order, where the knights prayed.
One fun trivia to note about the clocks in Malta, especially those on the church towers, is that none of them seem to be synchronised, and one probably thought the Maltese were lazy to fix it. In fact it is done in purpose. Malta is deep into its faith and so much that one of the tradition they hold until now is about these clocks. All of the churches in Malta has more than one clock on its facade or tower, and the only the right one tells the correct time (the right one tells the right time). This trickery is devised to trick the devils so that they would not tell what time it is and then they would be unable to interfere with any religious services. Note the clocks on the picture above.
Grandmaster Palace (Il-Palazz tal-Granmastru)
The Grandmaster is the head of the Order of Saint John, which is the religious society governing Malta during the mediaeval times. The Grandmaster Palace (Il-Palazz tal-Granmastru) has become the Governor's Palace (Palazz tal-Gvernatur) plus a state museum, and it currently houses the Maltese President's Office (Uffiċċju tal-President Malti). As in similar palaces, there are many state rooms inside the palace.
State and military museum inside the Grandmaster Palace.
Upper and Lower Barrack Gardens (Il-Barrakka)
The Gardens are located at the highest point of the fortification, and offers a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.
Lower gardens panorama of the scenic harbour. One event one should observe is the daily noon cannon salute at the salute battery. You can watch it from a balcony for free, where this photograph is taken, or from within the battery for EUR 2€.
Fort Saint Elmo (Forti Sant'Iermu)
A massive star-shaped fort standing at the tip of Valletta which withstood massive invasions by the Ottoman invasions during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 CE. Fort Saint Elmo (Forti Sant'Iermu) was dedicated to Saint Elmo (Latin: Erasmus) who died 303 CE. He was venerated as the saint for sailors and abdominal pain. Now a war museum.
Other spots of note include the Manoel Theatre (It-Teatru Manoel), Lascaris War Rooms or take a bus to Birgu (Il-Birgu) which is across the harbour to view mediaeval Valletta from afar.
One interesting part of walking around Valletta is to enjoy the undulating but beautiful cityscape of the city. The dense Victorian-era city is built on a rugged mountain and all streets go up and down, as above, and is fully filled with all sorts of buildings. It can be tiring sometimes, especially walking under the scorching sun along the steep slopes.
Buy and Do
Maltese cross (Salib Malta)
Thousands of souvenir shops along Triq ir-Repubblika selling the Maltese cross (salib Malta), which is actually more associated with the Order of Saint John, rather than Malta itself.
Għana
While strolling along the shoreline around Malta, we came across a street performance which I thought was just ordinary buskering. The performance turns out to be one of the most important Maltese cultural heritages known as għana (pronounced /ˈɑːnə/).
Għana is a type of traditional Maltese folk music and its origin can be traced back to farmers and housewives singing when they were working, doing house chores and gossiping. Eventually għana develops into a mode of group communication where women would be singing to each other while washing or drying their clothes on top of their houses, and in so doing gossiping and exchanging information.
The word 'għana' has two meanings: the first one is richness and wealth; while the second more literal meaning is the richness in singing and the contents of the songs and lyrics. There are three main styles of għana:
Bormliża: This style taking its name from the city of Bormla where it was popular. This type of singing requires man to sing high soprano to mimic women singing. Apparently because of this vocal demands, this style is less practised nowadays.
Tal-Fatt: The word literally means 'fact' and it is a ballad recounting stories, news, events or local folktales. Again this is to mimic the exchange of information and gossip. Usually this involves quite a bit of improvisation. The song style is usually slow and melancholic.
Spirtu Pront: The word translates literally to 'quick wit'. This is an improvised comedy performed usually by two performers in quick exchange of social topics and politics, very similar to the Chinese-style cross-talk (Chinese: 相声, xiangsheng). The songs are more lively, expressive and comedic in nature, and mostly accompanied by Spanish guitar performances. This is the one that we were listening to and due to the comedic nature, it is usually the most popular style.
Għana is clearly recognised as an important element of cultural heritage of Malta and is recently inscribed as an ICH.
Eat and Drink
Rabbit stew (Stuffat tal-fenek)
The national dish is the rabbit stew (stuffat tal-fenek). Ironically it started off as a form of symbolic protest to the hunting restrictions imposed by the Order of Saint John. Another dish of self-identity is the extensive consumption of pork, apparently a resistance towards the Ottoman and Islamic invasion as Malta sits on the geographic edge of the Christian world.
There are clearly many eateries in Valletta, but one which I did enjoy was the food market Is-Suq tal-Belt.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
Malta is well served by buses and all (yes all) buses of the island centre around Valletta which is just outside the City Gate. Within Valletta, just walk. I suggest at least two full days in Valletta for this time-warp travel.
The city is served well by an international airport and many cruise ports. It is also recommended to visit Paola (Raħal Ġdid) and Xagħra (Ix-Xagħra).
UNESCO Inscriptions
The capital of Malta is inextricably linked to the history of the military and charitable Order of St John of Jerusalem. It was ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.
Ghana (pronounced ‘ana’) is used to describe three related types of rhymed folksong in Malta. The most popular form of ghana is the ‘quick-wit’ ghana, an improvised duel between one or two pairs of singers, focusing on rhymes, convincing argumentation and witty repartee. ‘Factual’ ghana is a long, narrative poem sung by a soloist, usually from memory, to record important local events in collective memory. ‘Bormla’ ghana has simple lyrics sung using a large vocal range and a particular vocal style where a single syllable is sung while moving between several notes in succession. This third style was historically sung by women but has declined in popularity today compared to the more male-dominated ‘quick-wit’ style. Ghana sessions are held year-round in public and private venues, as well as during open-air festivals and celebrations. A strong camaraderie develops between the performers and the audience through friendly exchanges, as the practice of sharing jokes and recalling common experiences fosters a sense of shared history, identity and community. An integral part of Maltese culture, ghana is also considered vital to the transmission and development of the unique Semitic Maltese language that reflects the Arabic, Italian and English influence on the island.
References
City of Valletta | UNESCO World Heritage Centre L-Għana, a Maltese folksong tradition | UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
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Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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