De Redin towersThe De Redin Towers (Torrijiet ta' De Redin) are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of mainland Malta, eight of which still survive. The Mġarr ix-Xini Tower, which was built on Gozo in 1661 after the death of de Redin, has a design similar to the De Redin towers. The Spanish knight Martin de Redin was elected Grand Master of the Order of St. John on 17 August 1657.
Lascaris towersThe Lascaris Towers (Torrijiet ta' Lascaris) are a series of mostly small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1637 and 1652. The first seven towers were built around the coast of mainland Malta between 1637 and 1638. Between 1647 and 1652, a large tower was also built on mainland Malta, and two smaller ones were built on Gozo. The Italian knight Giovanni Paolo Lascaris was elected Grand Master of the Order of St. John on 16 June 1636.
Wignacourt towersThe Wignacourt towers (Torrijiet ta' Wignacourt) are a series of large coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1620. A total of six towers of this type were constructed, four of which survive. In 1418, the Maltese people made a petition to build a tower guarding the Gozo Channel, but nothing materialised. In the early 15th century, the local Mahras maintained several watch posts around the islands' coastline, and some of the posts possibly had a coastal watchtower.
Coastal defence and fortificationCoastal defence (or defense) and coastal fortification are measures taken to provide protection against military attack at or near a coastline (or other shoreline), for example, fortifications and coastal artillery. Because an invading enemy normally requires a port or harbour to sustain operations, such defences are usually concentrated around such facilities, or places where such facilities could be constructed.
MellieħaMellieħa (il-Mellieħa ɪl mɛˈlːɪːħɐ) is a large village in the Northern Region of Malta. It has a population of 10,087 as of March 2014. Mellieħa is also a tourist resort, popular for its sandy beaches, natural environment, and Popeye Village nearby. The name Mellieħa is derived from the Semitic root m-l-ħ, which means salt. This is probably derived from the ancient Punic-Roman salt pans which existed at Mellieħa Bay. The site of the salt pans is now occupied by the Għadira Nature Reserve.
Malta (island)Malta is an island in Southern Europe. It is the largest and most populous of the three major islands that constitute the Maltese Archipelago. The island is situated in the Mediterranean Sea, directly south of Italy and north of Libya. Lying to the south-east of the smaller islands of Gozo and Comino, it is sometimes referred to as Valletta for statistical purposes to distinguish the main island from the entire country. The island is long and wide, with a total area of . The capital is Valletta, while the largest locality is Rabat.
History of MaltaMalta has a long history and was first inhabited in around 5900 BC. The first inhabitants were farmers, and their agricultural methods degraded the soil until the islands became uninhabitable. The islands were repopulated around 3850 BC by a civilization which at its peak built the Megalithic Temples, which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world. Their civilization collapsed in around 2350 BC, but the islands were repopulated by Bronze Age warriors soon afterwards.