This recently restored tower in Zurrieq dates all the way back in 1659 but in contrast to many of Malta’s coastal towers, this one is a lot smaller than usual.
The tower is commonly referred to by the locals at the Wardija Tower but it also known as the ‘Torre del Guardia del Giorno’.
It was part of a series of 13 towers built by Grand Master Martin De Redin. It was the last one built on mainland Malta and is one of the eight towers which have survived to this day.
All the 13 towers were more or less identical expect for the one in Zurrieq, which was built on a much smaller scale.
Its main purpose was likely to have been that of relaying signals from the Wied iz-Zurrieq and Hamrija towers to Bengħisa
When it was first built it was armed with two cannons two mortars and the upper room was used as the living quarters for the men that used to operate it while the bottom floor was typically used for storage.
Unfortunately, during the British period in Malta the tower pretty much fell to ruins, but it was thankfully restored once again in 2022.