The seaside town of Birżebbuġa is situated at the southeast of the island of Malta and lies between Kalafrana to the south and the fishing village of Marsaxlokk to the northeast, and although Birżebbuġa is on the coast, it is the meeting point of four beautiful valleys, which are Wied Dalam, Wied Zembaq, Wied Qoton and Wied Buni. Many stories revolve around the name of Birżebbuġa. For example, legend has it that olives were stored in wells filled with sea water; another story is that olive tees were planted in and around what was then a small village; another is that when the word ‘Birżebbuġa’ is divided into ‘Bir’ and ‘żebbuġa’, ‘Bir’ means a well, while ‘żebbuġa’ means an olive, thus when the two are joined together the word ‘Biżebbuġa’ will emerge, and finally there was the question of whether the name should be pronounced Bur Żebbuġa or Birżebbuġa because Bur Żebbuġa means land of olives. Up until the end of 1800’s wells, which would have been used for olives, could be seen at the bottom of the sea where it is shallow. Today wells are still in existence and can be seen on the rocks at St. George’s Bay.
Birzebbuga, Malta
