Nadur
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Nadur is one of the most picturesque towns in Gozo. It is endowned with bays, citrus orchards, green fields and valleys offering good quality of life for the villagers.
History
The word "Nadur" which in Maltese means "look out", is derived from the Arabic word nadara. The town's motto "Vigilat" which means "on the lookout", compliments this description.
Nadur is situated on the northeast of the island between the villages of Xagħra and Qala. It lies on top of the first of the three hills, synonymous with the topography of Gozo. The hill, or plateau, which is 160 metres above sea level greets the sun rising from the east every morning. It is for this reason the sun is depicted on Nadur's emblem.
There are no documents or archeological evidence which could shed light on the colonization of Nadur by its first inhabitants. Nevertheless, the plateau and its surroundings, with a few farmhouses scattered here and there, were in existence for many years well before the area became a parish in 1688. The only trace of archeological evidence were a number of large flat stones found in a field between San Blas Bay and Daħlet Qorrot. According to the Gozitan historian G. P. F. Agius de Soldanis these roofed structures, which are not in existence anymore, once used to serve as a sort of temple to the gods. He also imagined that these slabs of stone couldn't have been placed there by normal people but by very strong people or giants. He also wrote that Nadur may have been founded during the time of the Greeks. The proof of this connection is a bronze statue of Apollo said to be found in Nadur in 1744.
Throughout history Nadur played a very important role in the defense of the island from barbarian corsairs who used to come by sea to loot the towns and enslave the inhabitants. During the reign of the Knights of St. John a watch tower was built by Grand Master Nicholas Cotoner which has been referred to by Dahlet Qorrot Tower or San Blas Tower for the two bays lying on either side of it. The tower is locally known as Ta' Sopu Tower.
Another watchtower found in Nadur is Ta' Kenuna Tower built by the British towards the middle of the 19th century. It served as a telegraph link between Malta and Gozo. From the top of this semaphore tower, one can get a panoramic view of most of the island, Comino and the northern part of Malta.
Nadur Today
Today, Nadur has a population of around 4,000 people, which makes it one of the foremost localities in Gozo. A substantial number of Nadurin emigrated to the United States of America, Canada and Australia during the years after the Second World War and nowadays many of them have returned to their birthplace and named their houses after these countries where they earned their living.
There are a significant number of farmers in Nadur, the majority of whom work their fields on part-time basis only. From the orchards of Nadur come most of the local fruits such as plums, peaches, apples, oranges and lemons. This produce maintained commercial contacts with Malta for over 3000 years. Today this commerce is still ongoing and a great amount of Maltese citrus is produced from Nadur. Recently the local council took the initiative to promote the planting of olive trees imported from Italy as these trees have consistently decreased in number over a period of years. The main wine producers are helping local farmers to plant more vineyards having realized that the terrain in this area is ideal for this type of plant. This zone is characterised by deep soiled land, fertile valleys, natural springs, terraced rubble walls and man made cane windbreakers.
A good number of others earn their living from the sea as fishermen or sailors. This trade has been popular with the Nadurin at a period when the fishing methods were still primitive in our islands. As a matter of fact a number of fishermen from Nadur have lost their lives in rough seas.
It takes less than 5 minutes to reach Nadur by car from Mġarr Harbour and about 8 minutes from Victoria. Nadur with its beautiful countryside offers some of the best country walk-tours on the island. Popular beaches accessible from Nadur are Ramla Bay, San Blas Bay and Dahlet Qorrot.
Nadur Carnival
Nadur is quite famous for its Carnival. This comes every year, a weekend before the beginning of Catholic Lent, and lasts for five days. It is unique because it is spontaneous and everybody does whatever he or she feels like doing. The main street of the town is crowded with the people enjoying the carousing which goes into the early hours of the morning. Since the establishment of the Nadur Local Council in 1993, Carnival is also being organized on a grand scale.
A recent controversy seeks to justify and clarify whether such an annual event should be an organized activity or just a purely spontaneous one, as its origins were. Moreover, the increased hype of the Nadur Carnival in recent years seems to be distracting one crucial element: the quantity and quality of those who take actual part in the carnival.
Nadur has actually been named "The World’s Carnival City" by the Foundation of European Carnival Cities [link] for the year 2005.
Nadur Parish
The religious feast of Nadur – Mnarja – is celebrated on June 29 [link]. The feast was very popular with honeymooners and its name seems to suggest that there is a possible connection with the beginning of Summer. It is derived from luminaria (illumination), and in fact it is a festival rooted in Maltese seasonal rituals and customs.The beloved titular statue, that of St. Peter and St. Paul, was made in Marseilles in 1882. It is one of the many masterpieces that grace the grand church. On Good Friday a beautifully-made set of statues are taken out for the holy procession depicting the passion and crucifixion of Jesus. On the morning of Easter a statue of The Risen Lord is also joyfully paraded.
Nadur was made a parish by Bishop Cocco Palmeri on the April 28, 1688 with Rev. Bernard Haber as first parish-priest. Its population was then 532 and its territory included Għajnsielem, Qala and Comino. The parish church, dedicated to St. Peter and Paul, is a very artistic monument of both architecture and painting, rich in marble works and decorations, erected on the site of a former smaller church and which is also the highest point in town.
St. Peter & Paul Basilica
In 1907 refurbishment took place to construct the aisles, dome and façade, on the Italian Renaissance design of Prof. F.S. Sciortino. The ceiling, depicting episodes connected with St. Peter and Paul, was painted by Lazzaro Pisani (both painters hailing from Ħaż-Żebbuġ), while the architectural decorations are the work of the Italian Pio Cellini. Principal force behind all these new projects was Archpriest Martin Camilleri (1910–1921).
The parish has its own community radio station, [Radjuluminaria].
Nadur Schools
Besides the Primary School, Nadur has also a School of Drama, which is truly active in the evenings. It caters for the whole island.Photographs of Nadur
External links
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| Gozo Island | ||
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