The eighth edition of the National Library of Malta’s Public Lecture Series, titled ‘Landscapes in Paper and Place: Rethinking geo-spaces through Malta’s Cabrei and Country Maps’ and coordinated by Mevrick Spiteri, Daniel Borg and André P. DeBattista, will be held between October 2025 and April 2026. Organised in collaboration with the Public Works Department, this edition focuses on Malta’s historic landscapes as recorded in cabrei and country maps from the 17^th to 20^th centuries.

The cabrei are legally binding land registers or property books, and, together with other administrative registers such as manuscript maps, survey sheets, and descriptive land registers, they contain several elements that are crucial for the appreciation of Malta’s landscapes. The lectures throughout this series will take a multidisciplinary approach, which emphasises the link between land and people. The series aims to assess the current state of research, introduce innovative approaches to Malta’s modern historic landscapes, and explore new avenues for collaborative research.

The first lecture, scheduled for Wednesday 29th October, will be delivered by Mevrick Spiteri. Titled ‘Revisiting Malta’s Cabrei: Property books from the Knights’ period at the National Library of Malta’, the lecture will explore the 25 surviving cabrei available at the National Library of Malta, each of which offers interesting snapshots of the islands’ historic landscapes during the early modern period.

Daniel Fenech, Christopher Gauci, Martha Piscopo, George Buhagiar and Emanuele Colica will present their study on ‘Historical Cartography in the Digital Age: Applications of GIS and WebGIS’ on Friday 28th November. This lecture will delve into the process of creating a digital map which allows for a comparative viewing of old maps of Malta with the current survey sheets of the islands.

Keith Buhagiar examines hydrology-related documentation found in the cabrei during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. His lecture, titled ‘Malta’s Hidden Springs and other water sources: Unearthing Late Medieval and Early Modern Water Technology via Cabreo documentation’, will be delivered on Wednesday 17th December. Through his research, Keith Buhagiar will demonstrate water management practices and land use during the Knights’ period.

Christopher Gauci and Daniel Fenech will explore historical 1:2500 maps of Malta produced by the Public Works Department in collaboration with the British Ordnance Survey between 1896 and 1927, as well as in 1957. Their lecture, titled ‘Contrasting the 1957 Aerial Survey and the 1896–1927 Joint Ordnance Survey: Shoreline Change Appraisal as a Catalyst for Historical Research’, will be delivered on Wednesday 28th January 2026.

Daniel Borg will explore the early modern landscape of Selmun, which was a renowned rural estate established in 1607 to finance the redemption of enslaved Christians through the management of its properties. Titled ‘A Diachronic Evaluation of the Selmun Landscape: Using the Cabreo del Monte della Redenzione and Other Sources for Historical Landscape Analysis’, this lecture will be delivered on Friday 27th March 2026.

On the Wednesday 29th April 2026, Avertano Rolé will deliver the last lecture in this series titled ‘Anthropomorphic features in Maltese landscapes: addressing issues of food security, soil protection, and rainwater harvesting’. This lecture will examine how the terrain has been modified over the years to create the distinct rural Maltese landscape we have today – with terraced fields protected by dry rubble walls.

Alongside the lectures, an exhibition titled ‘Archival Drawings of Geo-Spaces: Exploring Maltese Cabrei and Periti-Agrimensori during the Knights’ Period’, curated by Mevrick Spiteri, will be presented. The exhibition was opened to the public on Saturday 4th October during this year’s Notte Bianca, and will remain open until next month. This exhibition showcases the beautifully illustrated cabrei compiled during the rule of the Knights in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

It highlights how the Knights managed their magistral landholdings (secrezia), property-based funds (fondazioni), and the beni (possessions) of institutions across the Maltese Islands. The exhibition also explores the role of the periti-agrimensori (land surveyors), who oversaw the entire surveying process – from land measurement and draughtsmanship to the final inclusion of drawings within the cabreo.

This compelling exhibition tells the story of how these carefully prepared surveys and descriptions provide rare insights into the management of the Maltese landscape during the 17^th and 18^th centuries, opening a window onto the past and bringing to life the islands’ cultural landscapes.

Entrance to all the lectures and exhibition is free of charge, with no booking required. All lectures are delivered in English and start at 6.30pm – if you need any more information, drop an email to [email protected].