Photo. The Azure Window at Gozo, Malta. Travel Explorations.
The deep blue Mediterranean Sea, which surrounds the Maltese Islands, is full of natural wonders and distinctive beauty. Some of the great natural wonders on Gozo are the Blue Grotto, Calypso's Cave, The Inland Sea, Xerri's Grotto, Ninu's Cave, Dingli Cliffs, and beautiful The Azure Window.
We walked over the rough rocks for a closer view of the window without glass. It was amazing looking through the window in the cliff. I wondered how it could be shaped like this. I walked around looking at the window from different angels.
The Azure Window is located near Dwejra Point and Dwejra bay. It`s somewhere on the Northernmost coast of Gozo. Nearby is the village Dwejra in the locality of St Laurence. Dwejra is perhaps the Maltese archipelago's most spectacular site for natural wonders.
The Azure Window is a 50 metre high rock arch in the Dwejra Point cliffs. The sea has worn a hole through a narrow headland forming "the window" called it-Tieqa in Maltese. This area is spectacular at any time, but rough seas make it even more spectacular. In rough weather keep well above the high water line.
The Azure Window is disintegrating
The arch is in a dangerous condition because large pieces of rock keep falling from the arch of the Azure window it is estimated that the arch will disappear in a few years. Warning notices are placed to stop people walking over the top of the arch. Now is the time to take your photographs of this landmark rock formation before the Azure Window is renamed the azure pinnacle.
The Azure Window at the end of the cliff, is a giant doorway, through which one can admire the blue expanse beyond the cliff. It`s particularly spectacular during the winter, when waves crash high inside the arch. The sea around is very deep and of a dark blue hue, which explains why it is called the Azure Window.
The rocks in this area are encrusted with fossilized crustaceans, evidence that most of the island was once covered by water. In front of the Azure Window is the Blue Hole, and The Chimney, two of the most popular dive sites in Gozo.
In 2005, the island had a population of 31,053, of whom 6,414 live in its capital Victoria, also known as Rabat. The crude birth rate was 7.93, considerably lower than that of 9.59 for Malta. The town with the highest birth rate is San Lawrenz (15.93) and that with the lowest is Xewkija (4.89).
Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. Gozo is part of the country of Malta.
Gozo has been inhabitated since the 5th millennium BC, as witnessed by the megalithic structures at Gantija. The first Neolithic settlers probably crossed over from Sicily. Another interesting Neolithic structure is the Xaghra Stone Circle.
Later we took our way to the Old Citadel or Kastell, which lies upon the likeliest strategic vantage point of Victoria. It defiantly dominates the town's skyline as intended by military architects of the day.
Ggantija Prehistoric Temples - Ggantija Temples in Xaghra
These temples are one of the most important archaeological sites in Malta. The origins of Ggantija date back to the Ggantija phase from 3600 to 3200 BC.
The gigantic dimensions of the megaliths have always struck a chord with popular imagination. In centuries past, some locals even believed that the Islands' temples, in particular those of Ggantija, were the work of giants.
Stein Morten Lund, 23 May 2007
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