The 470th anniversary of the 1551 Siege of Gozo is being commemorated on the 24th of July.

To mark the occasion, the Cultural Heritage Directorate within the Ministry for Gozo came up with the initiative of explaining this very important part in Gozo’s history to the younger generation through an illustrated booklet.

Written by Carm C. Cachia, this historical booklet, which is in Maltese, is being distributed free of charge to year 4, 5 and 6 students in all primary schools in Gozo, both state and non-state.

The booklet is also available to read online by clicking here.

In 1551 the Ottoman force attacked Gozo following an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Malta, resulting in around 5,000 people, who formed the majority of the population of Gozo, being taken into slavery.

The siege ended in 1551 when the Gozitans had to capitulate and open the doors in the Citadel walls because they were no longer able to defend themselves and their families.

The people were taken captive, including the Knights and Governor de Sessa and were sailed to Tripoli. It was said that only a monk and 40 elderly Gozitans were spared by the Ottomans.

This was Gozo’s greatest tragedy, when many men, women and children, a lot of them unnamed, died either during the attack, or when they were taken into slavery.

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