Qbajjar Bay ( mt, Il-Qbajjar) is a small

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

near

Marsalforn Marsalforn (Pronounced: ''Marsa el-Forn, , '' Maltese: ''Marsalforn''), also written as M'Forn for shortcut purposes, is a town on the north coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago. The town lies between the hill ...

, in the limits of

Żebbuġ Żebbuġ ( mt, Ħaż-Żebbuġ) , also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Northern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021. History and origins The parish Churc ...

on the island of

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, this small bay is part of Marsalforn. It is located between Xwejni Bay to the west, and Marsalforn Bay to the east. The 18th century,

Qolla l-Bajda Battery Qolla l-Bajda Battery ( mt, Batterija tal-Qolla l-Bajda or ) is an artillery battery in Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1715 and 1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the M ...

, one of the few surviving coastal fortifications in Gozo, is located between Qbajjar and Xwejni, on a promontory known as ''il-Ponta tat-Torri''. The Bay, also has a few

salt pans Salt pans can refer to: * Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually found in deserts ** Sabkha, a phonetic translation of the Arabic word for a salt pan (geology) * Salt evaporation pond, a method o ...

, where locals collect

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...

History

The Qolla Il-Bajda Battery

The

, also known as the Qbajjar Battery, is one of the many defensive structures built in the

Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

period, and continued to be used by

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. When it was originally built, it was made up of two blockhouses, a gun platform, a parapet and a small ditch. These enabled it to provide defense to invading forces. The blockhouses had small gun-holes, in case of an attack from land. Now, this historic monument lies abandoned. Qbajjar

The ''"Qolliet"''

The two Hillocks, are one of the most visible geographical features in Marsalforn. One being in the yellowish color and the other in whitish. These translate to ''qolla is-safra'' (the yellow hillock) and ''the qolla il-bajda'' (the white hillock). The battery's name comes from the white hillock as they are within of each other.

List of locations

* The Qolla il-Bajda Battery * Some apartments for rent * A few Saltpans * Some restaurants * The bay itself. * Some residential buildings surrounding the bay. * Some Diving locations *''Qolla Il-Bajda'' *''Qolla Is-Safra'' Il-Qolla s-Safra - panoramio

References

{{Reflist Bays of Malta Żebbuġ, Gozo