Fortifications

Abstract

More often than not throughout their long history , he main threat to the Maltese Islands has come rom across the sea. The appearance of sails on the horizon frequently meant pillage and slavery or death. The sole refuge afforded to the inhabitants were the few fortified towns and an ever-constant vigilance. The need for a reliable system to warn of approaching danger meant that many places along the coastline, particularly the secluded and vulnerable landing sites along the northwestern shores of the island, had to be watched continually. Among such places were the bays and inlets of Mellieha and the Comino Channel.