Lighthouse of the Week, June 12-18, 2022: Delimara, Malta

 

I've featured many lighthouses on islands in the Mediterranean Sea as Lighthouses of the Week, and there are probably still many more to find. When I checked on Malta, I discovered that the only one I had featured was a faux lighthouse in a marina.   So this time, I found a real lighthouse that's got some history (and looks like it at times).

This is the Delimara lighthouse, which is located here. This shows the entire island, so if you want a more local view, zoom right in.

I'm borrowing liberally from the Lighthouse Directory to provide the information below.

"1855. Reactivated (inactive from about 1990 to 2014); focal plane 35 m (115 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story stone keeper's house. Lighthouse painted black with a white horizontal band. ... The Delimara Point Light served as the landfall light for ships arriving in Malta from the east. The lighthouse also marks the north side of the entrance to the fishing port of Marsaxlokk. The lighthouse deteriorated badly after being deactivated ... In March 2006 the Malta Maritime Authority donated the inactive lighthouse to the National Trust of Malta (Din l-Art Ħelwa), and in 2007-08 the Trust completed a restoration of the building. The lantern and Fresnel lens were restored in a second phase of the project, which was underway in late 2011 and was completed in 2014. In 2015 two apartments in the keeper's house were opened for vacation rental."

So below we have a video (with some funky music) and five pictures, one showing what the lighthouse looked like before restoration, and one that shows what the accommodations look like.