Monday, June 1, 2009

Historical Salt Pans in Marsascala (Is-Salini)

Walking along the coast of Marsascala from the Dolcelatte ice-cream shop towards St Thomas Bay you are bound to see some rocks which have been painstakingly carved out into salt pans and which are a historical attraction in themselves. They probably date back to Roman ages. The irregular shapes of the pans fitting together like intricate patchwork make a wonderful sight. I have been told that salt is still being collected from these salt pans. One family has worked in the salt pans for many years, possibly generations. These salt collectors usually start work at around 5:30am to avoid the scorching heat of the sun.

3 comments:

Doreen said...

These have always fascinated me, the Salina ones come to mind as we used to drive by there often when my Dad used to take us out on the weekends.
Interesting info there Zen, thanks for sharing.

Sue said...

Zen, thanks for your wonderful posts. Reading them while listening to my favorite music takes me back to those days in the past when I was still a little girl... sitting in the back seat of our dad's car , my sister and I would watch these beautiful landscapes from the car window as our dad treated us to a Sunday drive around the island... just as Doreen remembers too.
Sue.

w said...

5h30 am...tough :) Beautiful pic. I like the salt pans of Gozo too.