Għajn Tuffieħa Tower
The Għajn Tuffieħa Tower ( Maltese Torri ta 'Għajn Tuffieħa ) is a former watchtower in the Maltese town of Għajn Tuffieħa , municipality of Mġarr , in the northwest of the island of Malta .
history
The tower was built in 1637 under the rule of Grand Master Jean de Lascaris-Castellar . It is one of the Lascaris Towers that were built at the same time , whose task it was to monitor the coasts of Malta and warn of approaching enemy ships. At that time, the Order of Malta limited itself to erecting small watchtowers, since larger garrisons could not be maintained at every possible landing point on the deeply indented Maltese islands .
The construction costs were borne by the then government agency of Malta, the Università . The tower was armed with a half pounder cannon, and the crew was four men strong.
description
The tower of Għajn Tuffieħa watched over the Għajn Tuffieħa Bay . It stands at a height of 20 m above sea level just before the edge of the steeply sloping cliff, the tower itself is about 11 m high. From this point it was possible to communicate quickly with the neighboring towers in Lippija and Nadur - during the day by cannon shots and at night by signal fire .
The building rises on a square base area of 6 by 6 m. It shows sloping walls and a flat roof. Inside there are two superimposed rooms. Access was only possible via a wooden or rope ladder through the upper floor, the door that can be seen in the basement was only installed in modern times.
Web links
- Torri ta 'Għajn Tuffieħa / Għajn Tuffieħa Tower. (PDF; 377 kB) In: National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Sovrintendenza tal-Patrimonju Kulturale, March 30, 2012, accessed on January 2, 2020 .
Coordinates: 35 ° 55 ′ 51.4 " N , 14 ° 20 ′ 36.3" E