Marsaskala ( mt, Wied il-Għajn), also written as Marsascala and abbreviated as M'Skala, is a seaside town in the South Eastern Region of Malta which has grown around the small harbour at the head of Marsaskala Bay, a long, narrow inlet also known as ''Marsaskala Creek''. The bay is sheltered to the north by ''Ras iż-Żonqor'', the southeast corner of Malta, and to the south by the headland of ''Ras il-Gżira''. The parish church, built in 1953, is dedicated to

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

and the feast is celebrated at the end of July in Marsaskala. It was originally a fishing village only but has gradually evolved into a tourist destination and a permanent hometown for an ever-growing population. The town has a winter population of 12,134 people as of March 2014, but swells to around 20,000 in summer.

Etymology

Different opinions exist regarding the origin of the name Marsaskala. While it is commonly agreed that ''Marsa'' is an Arabic word meaning bay, Skala has given rise to different interpretations. It could have been derived from ''Sqalli'' (Sicilian) for Marsaskala was frequented by Sicilian fishermen since Malta is just south from Sicily. Maybe it was derived from the Sicilian 'Piccola Cala' meaning little inlet or it was just a reference to some rock-cut steps on the water's edge since ''scala'' also means a straight flight of steps. Marsaskala is better known as ''Wied il-Għajn'' by the Maltese as the bay and the old small village are flanked by two valleys, through which a spring of fresh water used to flow down into the innermost bay. ''Wied'' means valley and ''Għajn'' (pronounced ''ayn'') refers to the spring of fresh water. Literally, ''Wied il-Għajn'' means ''Valley of the Spring''.

History

Humans inhabited the area since pre-history, as evidenced by a number of archaeological remains. Some of the ancient remains are the cart-ruts, which are parallel channels formed in the rock. Early

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

, as well as Roman remains, were discovered in Marsaskala, the latter suggesting that Marsaskala was also a Roman port.<