New & now
Own a cultural icon! Could Ghaxaq’s incredible Dar il-Bebbux be for sale?
The unconventional property is over 100 years old.

Sarah Micallef

It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to own an icon, so when we stumbled upon this property listing on Facebook Marketplace, we couldn’t help but do a double take.

Advertised simply as Dar Antika (Maltese for ‘old house’), the first image appears to show part of the iconic Snail House, or Dar il-Bebbux in the village of Ghaxaq, a unique building that’s received a good bit of attention over the years due to its unusual façade decoration.

Apart from drawing the admiration of passers-by, the unique property and its history – which dates back to the start of the 20th century – has become somewhat of a media darling, and GuideMeMalta also ran a feature about it a couple of years back. At the time, we learned that the owners were looking to restore the façade, which is intricately decorated using thousands of snails, shells and stones of all sizes, but were finding it difficult to find anyone with the expertise to do it.

Dar il-Bebbux is included in the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands, and even has a nearby street named after it, so it’s kind of a big deal in the village – and now, could all (or part) of it be for sale?

According to a recent listing on Facebook Marketplace, an old property comprising of three rooms on the ground floor, two rooms on the first floor and a further two rooms on the second floor with two roofs, has been put on the market. Whether it forms part, or all of the property known as Dar il-Bebbux is unclear, but judging by the façade photo, it’s definitely one and the same!

Could this be your chance to own a unique cultural icon? Here’s hoping the eventual owner will keep that incredible façade intact!

24th February 2020



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