View source for Ġnejna Bay

{{Short description|Bay in Mġarr, Malta}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
[[File:Malta - Mgarr - Gnejna Bay + Il-Karraba 02 ies.jpg|thumb|Gnejna Bay, with Il-Karraba in the background]]
'''Ġnejna Bay''' ({{IPA-mt|ˈd͡ʒnɛj.nɐ}}) is a popular tourist destination located about 1 kilometer from the village of [[Mġarr]] on the western coast of [[Malta]]. The beach surrounding the bay is mostly sandy. A secluded strip of shore under the steep cliff on the northern side of the bay is a popular [[Nudism|nudist]] beach, although the practice is technically illegal in Malta and frowned upon by the conservative Catholic population.<ref>[http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2002/0721/ipoll.html] – ''Malta Today'', 21 July 2002</ref>
Ġnejna is notable for its striking clay slopes and limestone cliffs.  These serve as the headlands for one of Malta's few remaining perennial freshwater springs, that runs through ''Wied il-Ġnejna''.  Although the valley is a protected area, its watercourse is considered at risk due to illegal damming and tapping.<ref>[http://www.mepa.org.mt/environment/publications/soer1998/SOER98.pdf V. Axiak, E. Mallia, V. Gauci, P.J. Schembri, A. Mallia, A.J. Vella, ''State of the Environment Report for Malta, 1998''], at pages 153, 182, 232, 235, 236 – Retrieved on 28 July 2007</ref>
On 30 June 2007, a boat with 26 illegal immigrants was intercepted at Ġnejna Bay by Maltese authorities.<ref>[http://www.maltamedia.com/artman2/publish/law_order/article_2493.shtml] – ''Malta Media'' – Retrieved on 26 July 2007</ref>
==Fishing==
The fishermen of Ġnejna Bay use traditional techniques, such as attracting fish with lamps at night.<ref>{{Citation |title=Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb |publisher=University of Malta, Department of Biology |url=http://www.um.edu.mt/science/biology/staff/profpatrickschembri/empafish/rdum_majjiesa_to_ras_ir-raheb |accessdate=6 February 2011}}</ref>
==Fortifications==
Above the bay, on a tall, rocky outcrop, is [[Lippija Tower|Lippia Tower]] (also known as Ta' Lippia or Ġnejna Watch Tower), built in 1637 by [[Vincenzo Maculani]] upon orders from [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] [[Giovanni Paolo Lascaris]].<ref name=christian>[http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/militarymalta/html/gnejna_tower.html Gneja Tower] Christian Formosa, "A Military History of Malta", University of Malta, Faculty of Education – Retrieved on 26 July 2007</ref> Lippia Tower formed part of the intricate coastal defence network constructed by the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of St. John]].  Watchguards housed in Lippia Tower and a nearby tower at [[Għajn Tuffieħa]], would communicate with the inland [[Nadur Tower]] by means of flags by day and bonfires by night, which would, in turn, raise the alarm in the walled city of [[Mdina]] when [[Barbary pirate|corsairs]] were sighted off the western coast of Malta.
Ġnejna has a [[Pillbox (military)|pillbox]] dating from the [[Second World War]], camouflaged to look like a farmhouse.<ref>[http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/militarymalta/index.html Military Malta] Christian Formosa, "A Military History of Malta" – University of Malta, Faculty of Education – Retrieved on 28 July 2007</ref>
==The Legend of Castello Zammitello==
[[File:Malta - Mgarr - Triq il-Kbira - Castello Zamittello 05 ies.jpg|thumb|Castello Zamittello]]
The road leading down towards Ġnejna Bay features [[Castello Zammitello|Castello Zamittello]], a [[Norman architecture|Norman]]-style fortified house built in 1675.<ref>[http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/militarymalta/html/zammitello_tower.html Zammitello Tower] Christian Formosa, "A Military History of Malta" – University of Malta, Faculty of Education – Retrieved on 28 July 2007</ref> According to local legend, Lucia, the only daughter of a certain Baron Bernardo Zammit, disappeared from her bedroom on the morning of her wedding to a wealthy Sicilian [[count]], some 300 years ago. Believing that Lucia had been abducted by [[Barbary pirate|corsairs]], the Baron mounted an armed search of Ġnejna Bay, which proved futile.  One year later, the bells of a local church started tolling unexpectedly, and a vision of the missing Lucia, clad in a nun's [[Religious habit|habit]], appeared before the altar.  She told the villagers that she had run away from home to avoid marrying the elderly Count and, having taken nun's vows, had spent the past year tending to the wounded in a foreign land until she was killed by a stray arrow.<ref>[http://www.corinthiahotels.com/maltacatering/zamittello.htm Corinthia Hotels International, "The Legend of Castello Zamittello"]</ref>
Castello Zammitello, which was more recently the home of the noble [[Sant Cassia]] family, gained notoriety on 27 October 1988 as the site of Baron Francis Sant Cassia's murder, a crime which remains shrouded in mystery.<ref>[http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/04/09/t8.html Kurt Sansone and Matthew Vella, "Sant Cassia murder: Man Arraigned,"] online at MaltaToday (9 April 2006) – Retrieved 28 July 2007</ref>
{{Coord|35|55|27|N|14|20|27|E|display=title}}
==Lippija Tower==
[[File:Malta - Mgarr - Ta' Lippija Tower 02 ies.jpg|thumb|[[Lippija Tower]]]]
[[Lippija Tower]] is located on the north-west coast of Malta, about 100m above sea level. It was built in 1637 upon orders by Grand Master Juan de Lascaris-Castellar. The watch tower formed part of the intricate coastal defence network constructed by the Knights of St. John.
For centuries the coastline of Malta has been dotted with lookout posts or watch towers that were built by the Knights of St. John (Knights Hospitaller, Knights of Malta) during the 17th century. These towers were manned nightly to watch the seaward approaches and to raise the alarm in the event of imminent threat. The positioning of these towers was planned so that each tower had direct line of sight to both neighbouring towers, which acted as an early warning system against invaders. As soon as one tower spotted a suspicious event, a fire signal was started which was picked up by the neighbouring towers, which communicated the signal further. A number of coastal towers were built during the reigns of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601–1622), Grand Master Paul Lascaris-Castellar (1636–1657) and Grand Master Martin de Redin (1657–1660). The aim was to strengthen Malta's coastal guarding system.
Under the reign of Grand Master Juan de Lascaris-Castellar, seven towers were built in the period 1637–1640. Lascaris paid for the building of these towers out of his own pocket, such was his dedication to fortifying Malta's coastal defences. With the exception of [[Saint Agatha's Tower|St. Agatha's Tower]] in [[Mellieħa|Mellieha]] (built in Wignacourt's style), the Lascaris towers are smaller than Wignacourt's and consisted of two storeys, a flat roof and a parapet.
==Illegal properties==
[[File:Gnejna 3151.jpg|thumb|Illegal boathouses in Gnejna Bay]]
Although Gnejna Bay is a protected area, many illegal dwellings — mostly boathouses — have been constructed over the years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Debono |first1=James |title=ERA objects to energy substation for illegal Gnejna boathouses |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/environment/environment/70045/era_objects_to_energy_substation_for_illegal_gnejna_boathouses |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=Malta Today |date=30 September 2016}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Ġnejna Bay}}
[[Category:Bays of Malta]]
[[Category:Beaches of Malta]]
[[Category:Mġarr]]
[[Category:Nude beaches]]