| Tourist Information Because of its location, there are many ancient monuents and remains on Malta that speak volumes about its colourful history. Visitors to Malta all too often miss out on the rich culture and history of our islands. This history is concentrated in an incredibly small area and is accessable to all. A must for all visitors has to be the incredible temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Ggantija (in Gozo) dating back to civilization 5000 years before Christ. Invader after invader has tried to besiege the island for its obvious geographical advantages, during the last 2000 years, as the stepping stone for the Eastern civilization into Christian Europe. The Phoenicians colonized the island at about 100BC. A few hundred years later they were occupied by the Greeks, who called the colony Melita. The islands passed into Roman hands, and then became a possession of the Arabs. The Maltese Arabs were defeated by a Norman army in 1090, and Malta later became a feudal fief of the kingdom of Sicily. The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem fortified Valletta after an unsuccessful siege by the Ottoman Turks in 1565, making it one of the formost Mediterranean strongholds. In 1798 Napoleon occupied the islands during his Egyptian campaign, but the French were forced to withdraw a year later by Horatio Nelson. Malta became a Crown Colony of the British Empire in 1814. The Maltese were awarded the George Cross by King George VI in 1942, in recognition of their bravery against Italian and German onslaughts. The islanders became independant on September 21, 1964. The following link will take you to a page showing an outline of the history of Malta in more detail, with some suggestions for further reading and research. The bibliography is based on the readings for the course "Medieval and Early Modern Malta," which was offered Spring 2001 at the University of Minnesota. Places of Interest Eating out What's On in Malta Where to Go Public Transport information Bus Route Details When you have read through this mine of information about our islands, why not visit the "Holiday Truths" site to find out what past, present and future holidaymakers have to say, not just about Malta but many other destinations as well? | 
