Marsaxlokk - Malta (The next village to where I live)

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village located in the south-eastern part of Malta, with a population of 3,205 people (Nov 2005). The village’s name comes from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for south east. The word is related to the name for the dry sirocco wind that blows from the Sahara, comparable to the equivalent Catalan word, "xaloc".
It was in the "bay of the sirocco" (Xlokk) that the first Phoenicians landed and set up trading posts on Malta, during the ninth century BC. During the Great Siege, Marsaxlokk harbor was also used as an anchorage by the Turkish fleet.
Overlooking the northern arm of Marsaxlokk Bay is the hill of Tas-Silġ which contains remains of megalithic temples of the Tarxien phase, with later alterations resembling the Ħaġar Qim model. Bronze Age material has also been found scattered around the area.From the end of the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, the hill was used as a religious site, this time as a temple dedicated to Astarte/Hera. A number of dedications to both goddesses, or to the one goddess, under both the Phoenician and Greek names, have been found. The Tas-Silġ site was used again for religious purposes sometime in the 4th century AD, when it was adapted to a new religion, Christianity, and possibly used as a monastery.
In recent decades, the village has been the site for wet bulk operations. Malta's new main power station is here. Discharge of petroleum products takes place mainly at the Enemalta discharge installation point at Birżebbuġa. Apart from this, Oil Tanking (Malta) Ltd. operates an independent oil terminal at Marsaxlokk, which has discharge and loading points along the breakwater pier and offers storage, blending, and bunkering facilities.
The contemporary population of Marsaxlokk is around 4,000. In the past, a great percentage of the population worked as full-time fishermen. The number of working fishermen has decreased, in part because people from other localities have moved to the village.

The famous Luzzu:


The Sunday market


View of Marsaxlokk: