If you’ve ever visited the popular viewpoint in Gharghur, aptly nicknamed the ‘Top of the World’, you’re likely to have strolled past the little-known ‘Wied il-Faham’, which literally translates to ‘Coal Valley’.

The valley runs between the two quiet villages of Gharghur and Madliena, both of which lie on elevated ground. One of the valley’s most distinctive features are the Victoria Lines running across it, built by the British and named after their monarch that reigned in the duration of their occupation of Malta.

The photo posted by Friends of The Victoria Lines Trail show a striking similarity between the two photos taken of the Victoria Lines in this valley, despite being about 120 years apart. The first photo was taken in 1901, under the British rule and a couple of years after the completion of the Victoria Lines, while the second photo was taken a few years ago.

A close observer might spot one of the only differences – the walls shown in the first photograph feature ‘loopholes’, gaps in the walls through which the soldiers standing guard along the Victoria Lines (which separated the north of Malta from the more populous south) would fire their rifles at the oncoming enemy. Most of these loopholes were eventually removed from the Victoria Lines once they lost their role in the military protection of the island.

Have you ever hiked along the Victoria Lines in Wied il-Faham?