Mġarr ix-Xini (), is a bay close to

Għajnsielem Għajnsielem (; meaning "Spring of Sielem") is a municipality on the southeastern coast of the island of Gozo in Malta, including the entire island of Comino. It has a population of 3,200 residents (as of March 2014), and is the first Gozitan vil ...

(southwest),

Xewkija Xewkija (, , pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and village of Malta, on the island of Gozo. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014. History Xewkija, which is between Għajn ...

and

Sannat Sannat () is an administrative unit of Malta, on the island of Gozo, with a population of 2,117 people (March 2014). Ta' Sannat is in the south of Gozo, popular for its very high cliffs, ancient cart ruts, temples and dolmens, and rich fauna an ...

(southeast) on the

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

island of

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

. It lies in a

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

to the west of Mġarr Harbour, accessible mainly from the nearest village of Xewkija as well from Sannat.

History

During the rule of the Order, it served as a small harbour for galleys. A small watchtower was built to defend the area in 1661, and it was restored several times in recent years. The Mgarr ix-Xini Pumping Station, located in a nearby valley, used to supply much of Gozo's water.

Present Day

Nowadays, this secluded spot is popular for swimming and diving. On 12 November 1999, the former Gozo ferry MV ''Xlendi'' was purposely sunk to create an artificial reef and dive site. However, the ship rolled over while sinking and it ended up upside down. It may be unsafe for inexperienced divers. The movie titled '' By the Sea'', starring

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

and

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

was partially filmed at Mġarr ix-Xini from August to November 2014.Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt blockbuster to be filmed at Mgarr ix-Xini.
Times of Malta, 3 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mgarr Ix-Xini Bays of Malta Beaches of Malta Xewkija Għajnsielem Sannat