​

​

Malta was established by hunters and fishermen who wandered from (probably Sicily) seven thousand years ago. Since then, various unknown civilizations occupied the island in prehistoric times (5800 BC to 700 BC.)  Then came the Phoenicians staying for almost 500 years only to be chased out by Byzantine Romans around 500 AD. After a long quiet period, the Arabs occupied Malta in the 11th century.  The Arabs fled from invading Sicilians and Malta became part of Sicily. The island, still part of Sicily, came under the rule of the Order of St John who Christianised the population. 

In the mid-1500s the Ottoman Empire tried to take the island but failed.  Then the French sent the Sicilians packing around 1780.  The locals rebelled with the help of the British and the Portuguese, eventually leading Malta to become a British colony in the early 1800s. Finally, after being bombed by Germany during WWII, Malta became an independent country in 1974 and eventually joined the European Union in 2004.*

The Maltese language reflects this long complex history.  It is based on Ancient Arabic with bits of Italian, French, English, and Portuguese lumped together.  The Maltese culture is very strong despite being pulled and stretched in every direction.  Both Maltese and English are official languages, and most people speak both.

​

*A small Note of historical interest:

The official history of Malta goes back 7,000 years.  However, this does not explain the existence of several massive temples dotted around the island that may have been built at the end of the ice age. They have been constructed with massive stones weighing 20 to 30 tonnes each.  Strangely, all these temples face in the same direction, toward the sunrise on the summer equinox.

According to Italian historians. 20,000 years ago there was a land bridge between Italy and Malta.  Sea levels then were much lower than today.  Clearly Malta was inhabited at this time .  These ancient people had the sophistication to build huge monuments and lift and cut stone blocks weighing many tonnes.