Geometric pans
Rows cut into the rock by the sea.
Marika Caruana — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Corina Möller — CC BY-SA 4.0 · G.Mannaerts — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Boguslaw Garbacz — CC BY 3.0 · G.Mannaerts — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Xwejni Salt Pans are a network of small basins cut into the rock on the north coast of Gozo, near the resort of Marsalforn. They spread in geometric patterns across the limestone beside the sea, and one family has kept harvesting salt here for generations. Some of the pans are reported to be about 350 years old, though this is unconfirmed, and others trace salt-making in the area to the Middle Ages. Gozo's tourism body says the family's ancestors have worked the pans since the 1860s, with a fifth-generation harvester carrying on today. Salt is gathered from spring to late summer, depending on the weather, and yields vary a lot from season to season. You see rows of shallow pans between rocky edges, filled with seawater that evaporates in the sun to leave white salt. Along the coast rises Qolla l-Bajda, a pale rock hill that appears behind the pans in many photographs. On the far side of the bay are a small pebbly beach, a double arch and a cave in the rock. The pans lie about 1.3 km from Marsalforn and 4 km from Victoria in a straight line. This is a working site, so do not walk in the pans or take anything from them. The rock is sharp and slippery, so wear closed shoes. The best times are just before sunset or when the water mirrors the sky.
Rows cut into the rock by the sea.
A pale rock hill behind the pans.
Shallow water reflecting clouds before sunset.
Xwejni Bay shore, near Marsalforn, Gozo, Malta
No, this is a working site, so keep to safe edges and stay out of the basins.
From spring to late summer, depending on the weather.
