Xemxija Hill Heritage Walk
This rural structure grafted in the rock face is an ancient apiary. It has its façade punctured by three rows of loopholes. This apiary, which is one of several in the area, probably dates back from the time of the Knights or earlier. This may be indicated by the way the stones are dressed and mortared, their dimensions, the design and finish of the loop holes through which the bees fly. Furthermore, the roof is covered in mortar made of a mix of pottery fragments, sand, lime and battered into place to form an impervious surface indicate that this may be even older, especially, when considering that Bee-Keeping in the Mediterranean goes back some 9000 years and was practiced all around the Mediterranean during the Roman Empire.
Xemxija Hill Heritage Walk
This rural structure grafted in the rock face is an ancient apiary. It has its façade punctured by three rows of loopholes. This apiary, which is one of several in the area, probably dates back from the time of the Knights or earlier. This may be indicated by the way the stones are dressed and mortared, their dimensions, the design and finish of the loop holes through which the bees fly. Furthermore, the roof is covered in mortar made of a mix of pottery fragments, sand, lime and battered into place to form an impervious surface indicate that this may be even older, especially, when considering that Bee-Keeping in the Mediterranean goes back some 9000 years and was practiced all around the Mediterranean during the Roman Empire.