Żejtun

Żejtun ( mt, Iż-Żejtun ) is a city in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at end 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim in 1797. Before that, the village was known as Casale Santa Caterina, named after its patron saint and parish titular.

The old urban cores, called Bisqallin and Ħal Bisbut, largely retain their narrow medieval streets and ancient boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name Żejtun, or Casale Zeitoun, has referred to the settlement which developed around these two core villages. Together with a number of small hamlets in the vicinity, the bulk of the conurbation forms the city of Żejtun, administered by the mayor and the Żejtun Local Council. Over successive centuries, Żejtun lost a number of villages and hamlets that used to form part of its territory, which originally covered most of the south eastern part of Malta. The city experienced extensive urbanisation over the seventies and eighties, with the completion of numerous infrastructural and urban projects designed to relieve housing pressure in the neighbouring Cottonera area leading to a significant increase to the town's population. The town, and its surrounding satellite villages, are said to typify the basic Maltese conception of village life.

Żejtun is a major centre on the islands, with a significant contribution to the islands' history, arts and commerce. One of the country's principal industrial estates, Bulebel, can be found on the city's borders. Żejtun contains a number of important heritage sites, such as St Catherine's Parish Church, St Catherine's Old Church – known as St Gregory's, numerous votive chapels, and the remains of a Roman villa. The parish of Żejtun is one of the oldest on the islands and already existed in 1436. The original parish church was built in the twelfth century, and rebuilt in 1492. The current mayor is Doris Abela. The archpriest is Fr Nicholas Pace.

Toponymy

The etymology of Żejtun has been studied over the ages. It takes its name from the Sicilian Arabic for olive – ''zaytun'' ( ar, الزيتون) – one of the ancient agronomic industries on Malta. This was confirmed by Ciantar, who stated that "...the town was very pleasant, due to the great quantity of olive groves, from whence it got and still retains the name Zeitun, which means olive; there is also the tradition that olive oil in abundant quantity used to be made here." While the Sicilian Arabic word ''zaytun'' refers to the fruit of the tree, the olive tree itself is called ''zabbūğ/zanbūğ''.

The Arabic origin of the town's name was again recorded in the first Maltese language dictionary as "Żejtun, in the eastern part of the island of Malta, there is a large, rich and thriving town with this name, which incorporates another area called Bisqallin, and the village of Bisbut. In the Saracen era, there must have been olive groves here, for the area to retain its true name."

In his commentary on Maltese history, Gio. Francesco Abela claimed that the eastern half of Malta, from the old city to the coast was often divided into two further halves. To the east, all the land was called '' Zeitun'', while to the other side - that is, from Marsamxett to all the old territory of the Birkirkara parish - the land was called '' Araar.'' Abela claims to have seen this notation in plans drawn by Girolamo Cassar, and that these two ''contrade'' were covered with the two respective trees.''''

The name Żejtun was used to refer to the general south eastern region of Malta. In 1372, for example, King Frederick of Sicily granted fiefs in ''contrata de lu Zeituni'', and again in 1373 ''in contrata de Lu Zayduni''. The use of the name Żejtun for the urban core and town, as used today, does not go back further than the mid-seventeenth century. In population censuses taken by the Order, reference is always made to the parish or chapel of St Catherine. The name Żejtun begins to refer to the town, instead of a district or ''contrada'', by the 1650s.

Over the centuries, the region of Żejtun included a number of smaller settlements and villages. Casale Santa Caterina, Ħal Bisbut, Ħal Ġwann, and Bisqallin were used interchangeably to refer to both specific areas, or to the whole settlement. The name Bisqallin, which is the name of the lower part of the city, is traditionally linked with the arrival of Sicilian settlers, however this claim is contested by modern historians who link it with the diminutive form for ''Ħal Baskal'' or ''Baskal iż-Żgħir''. Over time, the name was also corrupted into the Italian ''Casal Pasqualino''.

Żejtun shares its name with a number of settlements and areas in Greece, North Africa and the Near East. Today, Bisqallin (Biskallin) is known as ''ir-raħal t'isfel'', the 'lower village', while Ħal Bisbut is referred to as ''ir-raħal ta' fuq'', the 'upper village.' The historic motto of the city of Żejtun is ''Palladis clara munera,'' indicating the town's position on a hill gifted it with clear and commanding views over the south-eastern part of Malta. The motto according to the Żejtun local council is ''Frott iż-Żebbuġ ismi'', meaning that the city derives its name from the fruit of the olive tree.

Topography

The core of Żejtun is located on a hill, rising above sea level. The promontory is marked to the north by Wied iz-Ziju, which separates Żejtun from Tarxien and the outlying high ground. Another valley, Wied iż-Żring, is partly obscured by the Bulebel industrial zone, and an old road which links Tarxien to Żejtun, as well as by the widened arterial road of Tal-Barrani. The valley meanders until it reaches the harbour of Marsascala. To the south, the Żejtun promontory is bounded by a gentle slope which then forms the greater port area of Marsaxlokk. The higher ridge of Żejtun is marked by the late medieval chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, known as Saint Gregory's Church, and the important crossroads of Bir id-Deheb. The Ħal Tmin district lies on the eastern outskirts of the village, and is known for the Chapel of St Mary of Ħal Tmin.

Żejtun is surrounded on all sides by the rural areas of Għaxaq, Marsaxlokk, Żabbar and Marsascala, with a distinct gap existing between Żejtun and the other localities, except in Bir id-Deheb.

History

Prehistory and antiquity

Żejtun is strategically located between three important ancient harbours, that of Marsa to the north, and those of Marsaxlokk and Marsascala to the south. The area was occupied since prehistory. Late Neolithic remains were found near the megaliths of Ħal Ġinwi, as well as the megalithic remains at Tas-Silġ, found on a hillock between Żejtun and Marsaxlokk. Remains of the temple at Ħal Ġinwi were found in the vicinity of San Niklaw chapel, between Żejtun and the Tas-Silġ temple. The site is today represented by a few ashlar blocks still visible in a field wall. More remains may survive beneath the soil, since an excavation in 1917 was superficial. These sites remained in use during the Bronze Age, as well as during later historical periods. Pottery shards possibly carrying the inscribed name of the Phoenician god Ashtart were also found. Other minor remains, now lost, include a menhir towards Marsascala and a stone circle at Bir id-Deheb.

Along the southern edge of Żejtun, excavations led to the discovery of an ancient Roman villa. The remains still contain areas of the original Roman tiling and coloured stucco. The complex was an active settlement since the Bronze Age, although the presently visible remains can be dated from the Punic period right up to Late Antiquity. More evidence of ancient habitation in the area comes from burial grounds, such as those around St Gregory's Church, Tal-Barrani, Tal-Ħotba and Bulebel. The excavation site at the villa confirms the presence of a thriving olive oil industry at the southern end of the islands. Modern historical studies and topology confirm that the area between Żejtun and Marsaxlokk was covered in vegetation and pasture land.

Medieval Żejtun

With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, the Roman villa in Żejtun entered a period of long decay. The Christian religion and Byzantine civilisation, however, clung on at Tas-Silġ, with the construction of a three-aisled basilica built atop pagan temples. The basilica remained in use until the Arab invasion of AD 870.

The historian Ibn Hawqal wrote about the invasion of AD 870, describing how the whole islands were depopulated. Modern scholars debate whether the invasion marked an outright “ethnic break and not merely a cultural and religious switch on the Maltese islands.” Little is known about Żejtun under Arab rule. Outside Mdina and possibly Birgu, hardly any village existed. However, a number of Late Medieval place-names in the general area of Żejtun, such as Bir id-Deheb, Ħajt il-Wied, Tal-Ħotba and Bulebel il-Kbir serve to highlight the intensity with which the area was used. One such name, il-Minżel, in Bulebel iż-Żgħir, can be translated as 'field at the descent' or the 'field at the house,' with the word ''manzil'' meaning a resting place, a place of alighting, settlement or abode. A large number of place-names implies the accessibility of the land, and therefore its use. Hence, the area was extensively used, with the Arabs using the established agroindustrial

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