A rare, local map from the 18^th century has surfaced on social media, depicting The Three Cities during a bygone era, capturing the imagination of many history lovers.

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A post shared by Oliver Gatt (@olivergatt) on Mar 7, 2019 at 9:11am PST

The map, which dates back to 1722, was created by French cartographer and geographer, Nicolas de Fer.

Shared by Marc Zimmermann to the Facebook page Malta Vintage History, the map is believed to be drawn during the second phase of construction of the Margherita Lines – a line of fortifications built in the 17^th and 18^th centuries to protect the cities.

“Note that none of the Cottonera Lines defences (which begun in 1670, and still incomplete) are shown yet,” he explained.

The map was originally published in a world atlas by the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris, 1748.