Dwejra Tower Through the Ages, is the title of a public talk taking place next Sunday at the tower with Din l-Art Helwa.
DLH said that Dwejra Tower was not only built to defend the coast from attacks from the sea but also to protect the General’s Root plant (Scientific name: Cynomorium coccineum) on the nearby General’s Rock which was thought to have special medicinal powers, curing any type of disease including syphilis.
The plant is a parasite and totally dependent on its host plant.
During the 16th century the Knights of Malta thought that it was a fungus and it became called Fungus melitensis. This is why the General’s Rock is also referred to as Fungus Rock.
DLH Council member and education officer Stanley Farrugia Randon will be giving a public talk about the use of the splendid Dwejra Tower through the years. There will be time for questions after the talk.
The date to note is Sunday, the 28th of July, between 10am and 11am.
This event forms part of a multidisciplinary festival [1]. For information on this and other events for the coming week, visit www.unfinishedartspace.org/projects/magiccarpets [2]
Dwejra Tower photo by Elyse Tonna