Marsaxlokk, Malta - A Beautiful Fishing Village

Marsaxlokk is a beautiful traditional fishing village in the south eastern region of Malta, with a population around 4,000. It is famous for its fishing market. The name of the village comes from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for the south east. This village is known for the Marsaxlokk Market. it is a large market that takes place around the whole village on Sundays and tourism market all days throughout the week. The residents of the village are called Xlukkajri and they are historically fishermen. The Marsaxlokk fishing village is Malta's largest fishing harbour. A large part of the fish sold on the islands is caught by the fishermen coming from this port.  Swordfish, tuna, and the popular 'lampuki' are caught in abundance between spring and late autumn. Appearance of these colored boats on its harbor give it a more beautiful view and make it one of the most splendid villages in the world. These boats are known as 'Luzzas'. The catch is taken to the fish-market in Valletta on weekdays, but on Sundays fish is retailed in the open on the quay by fishermen. Sundays are usually very busy when local people gathered in the village. This means that it can be difficult to park nearby and you will have to get a parking spot in one of the streets behind the beach. To meet the growing demand, fish restaurants have opened in Marsaxlokk. The increasing number of tourists in Marsaxlokk has attracted many hawkers and souvenir vendors.

There are four coves with clear water in Marsaxlokk. But these all are not in easy reach. These coves of clean water are perfect place for those people who want peace and quiet. The names of first two Marsaxlokk beaches are il-Ħofra ż-Żgħira (small cove) and il-Ħofra l-Kbira (large cove) – two coves adjacent to each other. There are many restaurants available in this village but the top restaurants are: Ir-Rizzu, La Reggia, La Nostra Padrona, Tartarun Fish Restaurant, Ta’ Victor Restaurant etc. Overlooking the northern arm of Marsaxlokk Bay is the hill of Tas-Silġ, which contains remains of megalithic temples of the Tarxien phase. From the end of the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, the hill was used as a religious site, notably as a temple dedicated to Astarte/Hera. Astarte is the Hellenized form of the Middle Eastern goddess Astoreth. Hera is the goddess of women and marriage in Greek mythology and religion.