Triq Rumana

Useful Information

Location:	St Paul's Bay, Malta. (35.9482538, 14.3815144)
Open:	no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Enigmatic Cavern
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Triq Rumana, St Paul's Bay, Malta, Tel: +356-21585888.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Triq Rumana (Roman Road) is not the name of a single cave, it is the name of an ancient road, which is now a hiking route and connects numerous underground sites. It is also known as Xemxija Hill Heritage Walk, a walking route linking prehistoric standing stones, Roman walls, and millennia-old temples. The trail starts at the end of Triq Raddet ir-Roti/Triq il-Pellegrini and goes uphill. On top of the hill it follows the ridge in both directions. The caves here are all artificial but of different age, they can be seen right at the beginning of the trail.

Għar ix-Xini (The Galley Cave) is a single huge, rectangular, but not very high chamber. It is closed by a dry wall with a rectangular door opening, but if there ever was a door, it is long gone. There are engravings in the rocks in the entrance.

The Il-Mighba Puniko-Rumana (The Punico-Roman Apiary) is a wall in the cliff face which was flattened artificially. There are two doors in the center and a series of openings with a flat floor and aa barrel vault, which form three levels in the wall. If it actually was an apiary, a place where bees were kept for honey is unclear. There seems to be consent about the age of 2,000 years though. Nearby is a second structure called Il-Mighba Rustica (The Rustic Apiary).

Għar Berbaħ (Berbah Cave) is another rectangular cavern with drystone walls in front and strange domed windows in the wall. The origin and use are more or less unknown.