pISSN 0705-3797 eISSN 2586-1298
HOME Article View

Article

Episodes 2017; 40(3): 221-231

Published online September 1, 2017

https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2017/v40i3/017025

Copyright © International Union of Geological Sciences.

Proposal for the nomination of Lower Globigerina Limestone of the Maltese Islands as a “Global Heritage Stone Resource”

JoAnn Cassar1*, Alex Torpiano2, Tano Zammit1, Aaron Micallef3

1Department of Conservation and Built Heritage, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta; *Corresponding author, E-mail: joann.cassar@um.edu.mt
2Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta
3Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta

Correspondence to:*E-mail: joann.cassar@um.edu.mt

Received: June 21, 2016; Revised: November 29, 2016; Accepted: November 29, 2016

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The Lower Globigerina Limestone of the Maltese Islands is here being proposed for nomination as a “Global Heritage Stone Resource”. This stone, continuously used for building and sculpture for 6000 years, is well suited to fit this global designation as it is not only of great local cultural, historic and economic importance, but it is also the building stone used in construction of the UNESCO, and hence internationally recognized, World Heritage city of Valletta, as well as the UNESCO-listed Prehistoric Megalithic Temples of the Maltese Islands. The stone was also exported to several European and North African countries especially in the early 20th century. The entire range of archaeological remains and historic architecture which cover the Maltese Islands have been built in this stone, and encompass innumerable palaces and churches, including the fortified cities of Valletta, Mdina (the old capital of Malta), the Three Cities on the Grand Harbour and the Citadel of Gozo, as well as the vernacular architecture ubiquitous within the village cores all over the Islands. The soft limestone has also been widely used over the millennia for elaborate and extensive sculptural motifs. Practically the only natural resource of the Islands, it continues to be quarried today, and is used not only for new construction, but also for the regular restoration of Malta’s great and imposing architectural heritage, remaining thus an important pillar of the Maltese economy.