Envisioning the Orient : the new Muslim cemetery in Malta

Abstract

The Maltese islands, situated at the crossroads of the central Mediterranean basin between Sicily and the North African coast of Tunisia and Libya, have throughout their history been ruled by diverse foreign powers, ranging from the Romans (ca. 218 b.c.–a.d. 395), the Byzantines (535–869), the Arabs (870–1090), the Normans (1090–1265), the Angevins (1266–82), the Aragonese (1283–1529), the Order of Saint John (1530–1798), the French (1798–1800), and the British (1801–1964). With the notable exception of Malta’s prehistoric temples dating to 5000 b.c., the imposing network of military fortifications and the Renaissance city of Valletta founded by the knights of the Order of Saint John have overshadowed other architectural legacies. In the aftermath of the Great Siege of 1565, the island of Malta, now under the rule of the Order, established itself as a strategic military base and bulwark of Christianity against the westward expansion of the Ottoman Empire. Local historical studies have tended to depict a heroic, predominantly Christian island state that throughout different periods in its history managed to successfully repel incursions by foreign Muslim powers. One unintentional result of this has been that the few local art and architectural forms emanating from non-Christian cultures have been underappreciated and not given the attention they deserve. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the historical and architectural significance of a unique nineteenth-century Muslim cemetery complex built under the auspices of the Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz (r.1861–76). It is the final culmination of several Muslim cemeteries that were discreetly established on the island in various historical periods. The way in which a Muslim cemetery has been represented from a Western cultural perspective—through Orientalist imagery and the conceptual ideals of Romanticism—will be explored with specific reference to the establishment of this late Ottoman cemetery in a British island colony. However, prior to considering this subject in detail it would be useful to briefly trace the historical backdrop of the Muslim presence on the island.