Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk Il-Kunsill Lokali ta' Marsaxlokk M'Xlokk
—  Local council  —
Marsaxlokk
Coat of arms
Motto: Portus Herculis
Coordinates: 35°50′30″N 14°32′41″E / 35.84167°N 14.54472°E / 35.84167; 14.54472Coordinates: 35°50′30″N 14°32′41″E / 35.84167°N 14.54472°E / 35.84167; 14.54472
Country	Malta
Island	Malta
District
Borders	Birżebbuġa, Għaxaq, Marsaskala, Żejtun
Government
– Mayor	Stephen Caruana (MLP)
Area
– Total	4.7 km2 (1.8 sq mi)
Population
– Total	3,222
– Density	685.5/km2 (1,775.5/sq mi)
Demonym	Xlukkajr (p), Xlukkajra (f), Xlukkajri (pl)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
– Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	MXK
Dialing code	356
Patron saint	Our Lady of Pompeii
Day of festa	5th Sunday in July or 1st Sunday in August
Website	Official website

Marsaxlokk Harbour

The fish market at Marsaxlokk

A luzzu, a traditional eyed boat, at Marsaxlokk.

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village located in the south-eastern part of Malta, with a population of 3,277 people (NSO Report, Dec 2008). The village’s name comes from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for south east. The word is related to the name for the dry sirocco wind that blows from the Sahara, comparable to the equivalent Catalan word, "xaloc".

History

It was in the "bay of the sirocco" (Xlokk) that the first Phoenicians landed and set up trading posts on Malta, during the ninth century BC. During the Great Siege of Malta, Marsaxlokk harbor was also used as an anchorage by the Turkish fleet.

Overlooking the northern arm of Marsaxlokk Bay is the hill of Tas-Silġ, which contains remains of megalithic temples of the Tarxien phase, with later alterations resembling the Ħaġar Qim model. Bronze Age material has also been found scattered around the area. From the end of the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, the hill was used as a religious site, notably as a temple dedicated to Astarte/Hera. Marsaxlokk was part of Zejtun Citta Beland in the past years. The Tas-Silġ site was used again for religious purposes sometime in the 4th century AD, when it was adapted to a new religion, Christianity, and possibly used as a monastery.

In recent decades, the village has been the site for wet bulk operations. Malta's new main power station is here. Discharge of petroleum products takes place mainly at the Enemalta discharge installation point at Birżebbuġa. Apart from this, Oil Tanking (Malta) Ltd. operates an independent oil terminal at Marsaxlokk, which has discharge and loading points along the breakwater pier and offers storage, blending, and bunkering facilities.

New shipping trends and the introduction of large, specialised container vessels meant that, for Malta to take advantage of its position at the crossroads of numerous shipping routes, a new facility for container shipping had to be built. The Malta Freeport Terminal, at Marsaxlokk, has developed into a major container terminal in the Mediterranean, equipped with the latest in technology and serving many of the giant operators in the container carrier sector.

The present-day population of Marsaxlokk is around 4,000. In the past, a great percentage of the population worked as full-time fishermen. The number of working fishermen has decreased, in part because people from other localities have moved to the village.

Importance of fishing

Most of Malta's fish supplies are caught by fishermen coming from this port. Swordfish, tuna, and the popular 'lampuki' are caught in abundance between spring and late autumn. On weekdays, the catch is taken to the fish-market in Valletta, but on Sundays fish is retailed by fishermen in the open on the quay.

Fish restaurants have opened to meet the ever-increasing demand. The tourist influx to Marsaxlokk has also attracted many hawkers and souvenir vendors.

Location

Marsaxlokk is about 35 minutes from Valletta by public bus No. 81. The village is approached via a long, narrow, straight road with vineyards on both sides.The bay is at the south-east end of the island and is memorable for the many colourful, traditional fishing boats called luzzu . The painted eyes on these luzzus are believed to protect the boats from danger. Tourists visit the town for the picturesque photo opportunities of the bay filled with colourful fishing boats, plethora of seafood restaurants and the very busy Sunday market that sells everything from fish, local produce and groceries to souvenirs,clothing and footwear.

Zones in Marsaxlokk

• Delimara
• Ħal Ġinwi
• Il-Ballut
• Il-Fossa
• Il-Magħluq
• Il-Wilġa
• Kavallerizza
• Marnisi
• Marsaxlokk Bay
• Il-Ponta l-Kbira
• San Duminku
• St. Peter's Pool
• Il-Ponta Tal-Qrejten
• Tal-Wiċċ
• Tas-Silġ
• Torri San Luċjan
• Xrob l-Għaġin
• Port Ruman

Marsaxlokk main roads

• Triq Delimara (Delimara Road)
• Triq it-Torri Vendome (Vendome Tower Street)
• Triq iż-Żejtun (Zejtun Road)
• Triq l-Arżnell (Arżnell Street)
• Triq Santa Katerina (St. Catherine Street)
• Triq Tas-Silġ (Tas-Silġ Road)
• Triq Tat-Trunċiera (Trunċiera Street)
• Xatt is-Sajjieda (Fishermen Strand)

Sports teams in Marsaxlokk

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Marsaxlokk	Football	1949	Maltese Premier League	Ta' Qali Stadium

Images

• 

  Marsaxlokk sunset.

• 

  Marsaxlokk boat.

• 

  Marsaxlokk port.

See also

References

Grech, Joseph Marsaxlokk: 100 sena parroċċa

Abela, Joe Dun Marsaxlokk

External links

• Malta Maritime Authority
• Report and Photos (German language)