Mamo Tower
The year was 1657 and the Mamo family built Mamo Tower
at Tar-Rumi, on the road leading to Zejtun. Its not as big and as strong
as St Thomas Bay but it's of average size, is built on a plan of St Andrew's
Cross, it has a Small Dry ditch around it and it also used to have a draw-bridge.
In the vicinity the same family also built St Gaetan Church. On the inside,
Mamo Tower has a big circular room in the centre, from which access is
possible to three lateral smaller rooms, one on each of the crosses arms,
while a flight of stairs leads to the roof from the fourth arm.In the
second world war (1940-1945), the British built on this tower a pillbox,
which was then removed by "Din l-art helwa" (an organization
that takes care of all Maltese heritage).
St Thomas Tower
After an attack on Marsascala the knights soon realised that a landing of the enemy at Marsascala the nearest port to the grand harbour, constituted a dangerous threat to their security, for this bay offered direct access from the sea to the centre of Malta, Hence in no time at all, Alof Wignacourt began building fort St Thomas in the exact location where the enemy had landed in 1614, on a plot of land bought previously by the sane Grand Master. This was the third tower for whose building Wignacourt himself paid the expenses. It was a much bigger tower than the ones usually seen on the coast, for it was intended to defend the bay and to store arms in it, not just as a look-out on the enemy, It is believed that the plan was drawn by Vittorio Cassar son of the celebrated buildings in Valletta.
The Tower, which cost the Grand Master 12,000 Skudi, contains
one high storey, divided into two big halls reaching an altitude of eighteen
meters, There are four small bastions one in every corner. The rooms are
roofed over by a ceiling vault and their walls are five meters thick.
A wide dry ditch runs all round the tower. The basement had a small window
looking on the front battery, which was armed with cannons and
faced the sea. There were also rooms for watchmen on the roof. entry into
the tower was possible only over a draw bridge. Wignacourt's coats of
Arms on the outside walls are today scarcely discernible. The tower was
named after the small chapel of St Thomas Bay which had existed with the
same name.
The Three Crosses
The Monument of the Three Crosses
with the Passion Symbols, is an eye catching curiosity that easily arouses
the on-looker's imagination. Who erected this memorial and for what reason?
Till 1615 Zabbar together with Marsascala, still formed part of theparish
of Zejtun. 650 people inhabited Zabbar and they rightly begged the bishop
acceded to their request and Rev. Angelo Pontremoli was appointed parish
priest of the new parish of Zabbar. As was the practice, Bishop Cagliares
established the limits of the young parish. As a matter of fact, a section
of modern Marsascala remained within the limits of Zejtun, while another
part which included the areas where the first parish church of Marsascala
was built, fell within the limits of Zabbar. It is possible that the limits
of Zabbar. It is possible that the Three Crosses at Bidni were put up
as an indication of the place where the limits of Zejtun and Zabbar. It
is possible that the Three Crosses at Bidni were put up as an indication
of the place where the limits of Zejtun and
Zabbar met.