Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a

natural harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

on the island of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It is located to the north of the larger

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour (; ), also known as the Port of Marsa, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, and fortifications. Description The h ...

. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Harbour.

Description

The harbour mouth faces north east and is bounded to the north by Dragut Point and

Tigné Point Tigné Point is a peninsula in Sliema, Malta. The area was originally occupied by several fortifications and a British barracks complex, which were left derelict for many years, until the area was redeveloped in the early 21st century. The area ...

. Its northwest shore is made up of the towns of

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

Gżira Gżira () is a town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is located between Msida and Sliema, also bordering on Ta' Xbiex. It has a population of 11,699 as of January 2019. The word ''Gżira'' means "island" in Maltese ...

and

Ta' Xbiex Ta' Xbiex () is a locality and Local Council in the Eastern Region of Malta with a population of 2,148 (estimated 2019). It is part of a small headland within the Marsamxett Harbour, right between the villages of Msida and Gżira. Etymology T ...

. The harbour then extends inland to

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

and

Msida Msida (, ) is a harbour town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta with a population of 7,623 (2021). Location The town is located just west of Valletta on the northeast coast of Malta. The neighbouring towns of Msida are Ta' ...

. Off Gżira lies

Manoel Island Manoel Island (), formerly known as Bishop's Island (, ) or the ''Isolotto'', is a small island which forms part of the municipality of Gżira in Marsamxett Harbour, Malta. It is named after the Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, ...

, now connected to the mainland by a bridge. The south eastern shore of the harbour is formed by the Sciberras peninsula, which is largely covered by the town of

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

and the city of

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

. At its tip lies the 16th century

Fort Saint Elmo Fort Saint Elmo () is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ri ...

. The Sciberras peninsula divides Marsamxett from the larger parallel natural harbour,

. Along its partner the

, Marsamxett lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Development has grown up all around the twin harbours and up the slopes so that the whole bowl is effectively one large

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

. Much of Malta's population lives within a three kilometer radius of Floriana. This is now one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The harbours and the surrounding areas make up Malta's

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

and

Southern Harbour District Malta is for non-local government purposes divided into districts as opposed to the local government regions at the same level. The three main types of such districts – statistical, electoral at national level, and policing – have no ...

s. Together, these districts contain 27 of 68 local councils. They have a population of 213,722 which make up over 47% of the total population of the Maltese islands.

History

In 1551, Ottomans landed at Marsamxett and marched upon the Grand Harbour, but did not attack as they found strong defences built by the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...

. This skirmish was followed by an unsuccessful attack against

Mdina Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...

, and successful sacking of Gozo and conquest of Tripoli. After this attack,

was built to guard both Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour. A much larger Ottoman invasion came in 1565, in the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese language, Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May t ...

. During the siege, the Ottoman fleet was based at Marsamxett, and cannons were stationed at Tigné Point in order to bombard Fort Saint Elmo. During the attack, the Ottoman admiral

Dragut Dragut (; 1485 – 23 June 1565) was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended across North Africa. Recognized for his military genius, and as being among "the ...

was killed by stray gunfire. The siege was eventually lifted and the Order and the Maltese emerged victorious. A new city was constructed on the Sciberras Peninsula, and was named

after the Grandmaster who commissioned it. The suburb of

was later built outside the city, and it has now developed into a town in its own right. In 1592, a wooden quarantine hospital was built on

, then known as ''l'Isola del Vescovo''. It was dismantled a year later, but a permanent Lazzaretto was built in its place in 1643, which was improved a number of times until its closure in 1929. Between 1723-33,

Fort Manoel Fort Manoel ( or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it is named. Fort Ma ...

was built on Manoel Island, while

Fort Tigné Fort Tigné () is a polygonal fort in Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour. It is one of the oldest polygonal forts in the world. The fort, ex ...

was built on

in 1793. British barracks were also built on Tigné Point, but these have since been demolished. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the British used Marsamxett, particularly Manoel Island, as a submarine base. The island was a

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

, referred to as HMS ''Talbot'' or HMS ''Phœnicia''. Fort Manoel saw use once again, and it was bombarded by Luftwaffe bombers causing much destruction. In 1977, the 1st (Maritime) Battery of the Armed Forces of Malta moved its base to Hay Wharf in Marsamxett. Sliema, Gżira, and Ta' Xbiex on the northern end of the harbour have seen a lot of development in recent years. Marsamxett Harbour is now mainly used for smaller watercraft when compared to Grand Harbour. There are a number of yacht marinas including at Msida and Manoel Island, a yacht yard, as well as tourist cruise boats which operate from Sliema. On 10 September 2006, during the Maltese round of the

Aero GP Aero GP is an international air racing series with up to eight specially designed high-performance sports planes all racing together at speeds of up to around a tight circuit just metres off the ground and from each other. The competing pilots a ...

series, a mid-air collision between two planes above the harbour caused the death of one of the pilots, Gabor Varga.

Gallery

Malta - Sliema - Tigné Point - Fort Tigné 01 ies (Triq il-Lanca) 01 ies.jpg,

Sliema Malta - Sliema - Tigné Point (Triq San Bastjan) 01 ies.jpg,

Sliema Malta - Sliema + Sliema Creek (MSTHC) 01 ies.jpg, Sliema Creek
Sliema Malta - Sliema (Triq Ix-Xatt (Gzira)) 01 ies.jpg, Sliema Harbour
Sliema Malta - Gzira - Manoel Island - Fort Manoel (Tigné Pedestrian Bridge) 01 ies.jpg,

Gżira Malta - Gzira - Triq Il-Forti Manoel - Yacht Yard (Triq Ix-Xatt (Sliema)) 01 ies.jpg, Manoel Island Yacht Yard
Gżira Malta - Gzira - Manoel Island - Fort Manoel (Ferry Sliema-Valletta) 02 ies.jpg,

Gżira Malta - Gzira - Manoel Island - Lazzaretto (St. Andrew's Bastion) 01 ies.jpg, Lazzaretto
Gżira Malta - Gzira - Manoel Island Yacht Marina (Ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex) 02 ies.jpg, Manoel Island Yacht Marina
Gżira Panoramic view of the Old Walled City of Valletta and its harbor. Malta, Mediterranean Sea.jpg, Lazzaretto Creek
Gżira and Ta' Xbiex Malta - Ta' Xbiex - ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex+ir-Rampa Ta' Xbiex (MSTHC) 01 ies.jpg,

Malta - Msida+Pieta - Msida Marina (MSTHC) 01 ies.jpg, Ta' Xbiex Breakwater
Ta' Xbiex Malta - Ta' Xbiex - ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex - Msida Marina (MSTHC) 03 ies.jpg,

Marina
Ta' Xbiex and Msida Malte, Msida, Parish church.jpg,

Malta-marsamxett-harbour-stlukeshospital.jpg, Saint Luke's Hospital
Pietà Malta - Floriana - Xatt it-Tiben + Pieta Creek 01 ies.jpg,

Creek
Pietà Malta - Floriana - Triq Sa Maison+San Salvatore Bastion (Ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex) 01 ies.jpg,

Floriana Lines The Floriana Lines () are a line of fortifications in Floriana, Malta, which surround the fortifications of Valletta and form the capital city's outer defences. Construction of the lines began in 1636 and they were named after the military engi ...

Floriana Malta - Floriana - Xatt it-Tiben 02 ies.jpg, Hay Wharf
Floriana Valettasunrisepan1.jpg,

Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lanca - Fort Saint Elmo (MSTHC) 03 ies.jpg,

Valletta

References

Coordinates In geometry, a coordinate system is a system that uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine and standardize the Position (geometry), position of the Point (geometry), points or other geometric elements on a manifold such as ...

: {{Coord, 35, 54, 6, N, 14, 30, 29, E, type:waterbody Geography of Malta Ports and harbours of Malta Bays of Malta

Description

History

Gallery

See also

References