Heritage Malta Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit

26/08/2026

🌊 Xi ġmiel ta' esperjenza!

🤿 Grazzi mill-qalb lil kull min ingħaqad magħna fix-Xlendi Shipwreck Festival u skopra l-istejjer straordinarji li jistrieħu mal-qigħan tal-ibħra tagħna. Ħajr speċjali lill-Kunsill Lokali tal-Munxar għall-appoġġ imprezzabbli tiegħu.

⚓ Il-festival kien parti miċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet tagħna tal-25 anniversarju tal-Konvenzjoni tal-UNESCO għall-Protezzjoni tal-Wirt Kulturali ta’ Taħt il-Baħar, u l-ftuħ tiegħu kien aktar speċjali għax seħħ fil-Jum Internazzjonali għall-Wirt Kulturali ta’ Taħt il-Baħar.

🌊 What an incredible experience!

🤿 A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at the Xlendi Shipwreck Festival and discovered the extraordinary stories resting beneath our seas. We are especially grateful to the Munxar Local Council for its invaluable support.

⚓ The festival formed part of our celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and opened on a particularly significant note, coinciding with the International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage.

21/08/2026

🌊 Celebrating the first International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage

Today we celebrate the heritage preserved beneath our seas and our shared responsibility to protect it for future generations. For Malta, an island at the heart of the Mediterranean, our history does not end at the shoreline. From ancient shipwrecks to aircraft and warships, the waters surrounding our islands preserve thousands of years of human activity.

⚓ Join us on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August at the Xlendi Shipwreck Festival as we celebrate Malta's underwater cultural heritage and bring the stories beneath our seas to the surface!

Beneath the surface of our ocean, seas, rivers and lakes lies an extraordinary part of humanity's cultural heritage, from ancient shipwrecks and submerged settlements to archaeological sites and living traditions and knowledge connected to water.

Often unseen and difficult to access, this heritage bears witness to centuries of voyages, exchanges and shared histories. Yet it is increasingly vulnerable to looting, illicit trafficking, climate change, pollution and other growing pressures.

On 21 August, the first International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage calls for stronger international cooperation to protect this irreplaceable source of knowledge and intercultural dialogue, and to ensure that its protection is fully integrated into the sustainable management of oceans, coastal areas and inland waters.

This year also marks 25 years since the adoption of UNESCO's 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which provides a framework for international cooperation, responsible research and the protection of submerged heritage from commercial exploitation and illicit trafficking.

Together with Member States, researchers, local communities and partners, UNESCO is working to safeguard for the benefit of humanity and future generations.

Discover more: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/underwater-cultural-heritage

20/08/2026

⚓ Ix-Xlendi għad għandu ħafna aktar stejjer x’jirrakkonta! ✨

Grazzi mill-qalb lil kull min ingħaqad magħna fi tmiem il-ġimgħa li għaddiet għall-Open Weekend tat-Torri tax-Xlendi.

📅 Il-Ġimgħa 21 u s-Sibt 22 ta' Awwissu, it-Taqsima tal-Wirt Kulturali ta’ Qiegħ il-Baħar se tirritorna bix-Xlendi Shipwreck Festival – opportunità oħra mhux ta’ min jitlifha biex tesperjenza l-imgħoddi marittimu għani ta’ Għawdex.

🔗 Aktar tagħrif: heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/xlendi-shipwreck-festival-2/

⚓ Xlendi has yet more stories to tell! ✨

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us last weekend for the Xlendi Tower Open Weekend.

📅 On Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August, our Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit returns for the Xlendi Shipwreck Festival – another unmissable chance to experience Gozo’s rich maritime past.

🔗 More details: heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/xlendi-shipwreck-festival-2/

18/08/2026

18/08/2026

Come visit us on Friday and Saturday on the Xlendi waterfront from 6pm onwards 🌊

28/07/2026

🌊 Skopri ġrajjietna minn qiegħ il-baħar, waqt il-mixja tiegħek li jmiss f’Tas-Sliema! ☀️

⚓ It-Taqsima tal-Wirt Kulturali ta’ Qiegħ il-Baħar fi ħdan Heritage Malta tippreżenta ‘Celebrating Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage’, wirja fil-miftuħ max-xatt xemxi ta’ Tas-Sliema. B’ċelebrazzjoni tal-25 sena mill-iffirmar tal-Konvenzjoni tal-UNESCO tal-2001 għall-Protezzjoni tal-Wirt Kulturali ta’ Taħt il-Baħar, u ħames snin minn meta Malta rratifikatha, din il-wirja turi l-ħidma kontinwa tal-aġenzija biex jiġi mħares u ppreservat il-wirt kulturali għani ta’ taħt il-baħar tal-gżejjer tagħna.

📅 Miftuħa sal-Erbgħa, 30 ta’ Settembru 2026.
🔗 Aktar tagħrif hawnhekk: heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/celebrating-maltas-underwater-cultural-heritage/

🌊 Discover history from Malta’s depths, on your next stroll in Sliema! ☀️

⚓ Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit presents ‘Celebrating Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage’, an outdoor exhibition along Sliema’s sunny waterfront. Marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and the fifth anniversary of Malta’s ratification of the convention, it highlights the agency’s ongoing efforts to preserve the islands’ rich underwater heritage.

📅 Open until Wednesday, 30th September 2026.
🔗 More details here: heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/celebrating-maltas-underwater-cultural-heritage/

24/07/2026

Mur lura 2,700 sena, bla ma tħalli x-xatt!⏳

Permezz tal-esperjenza bir-realtà virtwali matul ix-Xlendi Shipwreck Festival, tista' tivvjaġġa sa qiegħ il-baħar li jgħannaq lill-gżira Għawdxija, fejn fdal ta' xini Feniċju jistrieħ ħiemed, preservat taħt il-mewġ.🌊

Skopri dan is-sit uniku – wieħed mill-eqdem fil-Mediterran – mis-6pm sal-11pm, il-Ġimgħa 21 u s-Sibt 22 ta' Awwissu max-xatt tax-Xlendi.📍

🔗Aktar tagħrif issibu hawn: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/xlendi-shipwreck-festival-2/

Step back 2,700 years, without leaving the shore!⏳

Through our VR experience at the Xlendi Shipwreck Festival, you can journey to the seabed off Gozo where the Phoenician shipwreck rests, preserved in time beneath the waves.🌊

Discover this unique site – one of the Mediterranean’s oldest maritime mysteries – from 6pm to 11pm on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August by the Xlendi waterfront.📍

🔗For more information, visit: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/xlendi-shipwreck-festival-2/ .

06/07/2026

Dive into History and virtually explore the wreck of the B24 Liberator 👇

https://underwatermalta.org/discover/b24-liberator/

30/06/2026

🇲🇹 Illum il-mużew virtwali Underwater Malta jagħlaq sitt snin!

Ogħdos f’sekli ta’ patrimonju mistura taħt il-mewġ madwar il-gżejjer tagħna. Skopri tagħrif dettaljat, ritratti, filmati, u 3D scans – kull fejn u kull meta trid, bil-kumdità ta’ klikk 🌊

F’din is-sena importanti qed infakkru wkoll 25 sena mill-Konvenzjoni tal-UNESCO tal-2001 għall-Protezzjoni tal-Wirt Kulturali ta’ Taħt il-Baħar, u 5 snin minn meta Malta rratifikatha 🌍

Esplora hawn: https://underwatermalta.org/

🇬🇧 Today, the Underwater Malta virtual museum turns six!

Dive into centuries of heritage hidden beneath the waves around our islands. Discover detailed information, photos, videos, and 3D scans of historic wrecks – anytime, anywhere, at the click of a button 🌊

In this momentous year, we also mark 25 years of UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, and 5 years since Malta’s ratification 🌍

Explore on: https://underwatermalta.org/

Heritage Malta Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit

08/05/2026

Today we remember the last voyage of HMS Olympus and the servicemen who lost their lives aboard. The loss of the HMS Olympus remains the single biggest submarine tragedy of the Second World War and the Royal Navy’s submarine history.

https://underwatermalta.org/discover/hms-olympus/