Malta, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, was for centuries one of the most fortified centers of the Christian Church. After Suleiman the Magnificent drove the Hospitaller Knights of St John from Rhodes, they settled in Malta in 1530. Their mission houses organized like today’s multinational forces were located in Colacchio, a part of the narrow winding alleys. Out of the eight catholic nations that are symbolized by the eight corner star of the order, only five exist today, many of the Iberian peninsula nations being incorporated into modern Spain. Malta’s influence became paramount in the Mediterranean basin. The knights were corsairs, each ship being commanded by one of them, bringing loot that bankrolled the Catholic church. Out of the island’s numerous inquisitors, two became Popes and 22 cardinals, showing the significant influence Malta had in the Catholic World. 

The oldest temples in Malta date from 7000BC in the island of Gozo, while several remarkable temples date from 3500BC, well before the known history of Sumer and Egypt. 

(Valletta, Sliema, Gzira, Valletta harbor tour, Birgu/Vittoriosa, Mdina/Rabat, St Paul Bay, Mistra, Tarxien & Mnajdra Temples, Marsaxlokk, Hypogeum, Gozo, Rambla Bay, Calypso Cave, Marsalforn, Victoria, Dwejra, Xlendi)