Il-Maqluba, Qrendi, Malta | Legends, myths & folklore

Il-Maqluba (tal-Maqluba), Qrendi, Malta mysterious crater/hole and location of Malta's most puzzling but enduring legends. Il-Maqluba has a number of Maltese folklore stories about it, ranging from legends of Gods, the Devil to natural but crazy sounding theories.

Il-Maqluba means upside down, the upturned

Il-Maqluba (tal-Maqluba) located at Qrendi, Malta means upside down, the upturned, over turned and comes from the myths about the creation of tal-Maqluba (the Maqluba).

Is Il-Maqluba a doline (sinkhole) natural cave and collapsed excavated hole dug by the Phoenicians, a legendary crater formed by the wrath of God/Devil or an Electric Universe crater?

Il-Maqluba | legendary naturally depressed doline - angels dump

On the 23rd November 1343, Malta experienced one of its most severe winter storms ever, possibly accompanied by an earthquake. It was at this time that il-Maqluba was formed. This is a natural depression formed by the collapse of the underlying limestone strata, known as a doline in geological language. It is now a sinkhole, collecting rainwater from a three-mile radius and helping to maintain our underground water supplies.
Being the middle ages, this natural event was obviously turned into a legend. This legend tells us of a group of bad people living together in a hamlet. God warned the village, through a good woman living close by, against their bad ways. As the bad people did not heed these warnings, God decreed that the land swallow the hamlet, sparing none except the good woman. Angels were then dispatched to dispose of the hamlet by dumping it at sea. Legend thus tells of the formation of the island of Filfla, just off the southwest coast of Malta.
Mattew chapel, in tal-Maqluba, is actually two chapels. The older chapel, on the edge of the sinkhole, is one of the oldest in Malta and is believed to have been built in the fifteenth century. The first written mention of this crypt was by Inquisitor Dusina in the report of his pastoral visit to the Maltese Diocese between 1574 and 1575. The other chapel was built between 1674 and 1682.
Maqluba, Tal-Hniena and Wied Babu| ramblersmalta

il-Maqluba | Phoenicians tanks/wells, Tas-Sekonda and the tempest

According to some studies that were done it is said that the land in around is the shallowest part of the area that the ancient Phoenicians excavated many large wells in there . A fact of that, a half remained bell shaped well is still intact and can be seen easily covered with deffun but it happened that the type of limestone in this area where these wells were dug is called Tas-Sekonda which means a type of stone very soft and inferior to the limestone, which deteriorates very quickly. Years after years ....... the heavy waters that came in melted the stones where the wells were excavated and also in that part of the land it is said that there was a natural cave in the middle (some kind like ghar dalam) when the waters came in it melted the stone tas sekonda and was swallowed in and it formed this depressed land.
It is mentioned that it happened in the 13th century when a huge tempest hit the island according to historical and scientifically facts.
The road that leads to the Maqluba is named for this tempest.
Qrendi (Il-maqluba u l-knisja ta' San Mattew) | vivamalta.org

il-Maqluba | inland subsidence structure (doline) but no sediment?

The Authority, has also scheduled the area known as Il-Maqluba, limits of Qrendi. This natural area is one of the best examples of a deep, large-scale inland solution subsidence structure (doline) in the Maltese Islands. It is the only natural sub-circular depression that is not filled with sediment. The doline serves as a natural soak-away reservoir, with a depth of approximately 15 metres, an area of approximately 6,000m² and a perimeter of 300 metres.
This area supports a dense maquis community dominated by Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) and a native stand of Malta's National Tree: the Sandarac Gum Tree (Tetraclinis articulata). Malta's National Bird, the Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius), is also known to breed at Il-Maqluba. The immediate surroundings of Il-Maqluba support a maquis dominated by Carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) amongst other species.
MEPA schedules Il-Maqluba | mepa.org.mt

il-Maqluba | the people of Malta are absurd and liars?

Filfla is the unhappy victim of the nasty (and absurd) legend of Il-Maqluba: the evil inhabitants of Il-Maqluba so displeased God that he tore the ground from beneath them and sent them crashing through to hell. So base were they that not even hell could hold them, and in desperation the devil threw the depraved sinners (as the earth, trees, etc.) out of hell and back into the night sky. The tangles mass of rock, vegetation and godless souls landed in the sea and thus created Filfla. From such an egregious birth as that, its fate was set.
Malta Gozo & Comino By Simon Gaul - Fifla - a far flung isle | books.google.co.uk

il-Maqluba | legend of Gods angels creating Filfla and tal Maqluba

Behind the Maqluba magnificent views comes a legend equally as impressive. Handed down through the generations, we learn of bad people living together in a small village or hamlet (Hal-Lew). Almighty God warned the village, through a good woman living close by and often referred to as a nun, against their bad ways.
Unheeding these warnings, God decreed that the land swallow the village sparing none except the good woman. In turn, angels were dispatched to dispose of the “bad village” by dumping it at sea. Legend thus tells of the formation of the island of Filfla situated some three miles to the South West of the fishing port of Wied iz-Zurrieq.
On the 23rd November 1343, Malta experienced one of it most severe winter storms in history, a tempest or possibly an earthquake. It was at this time that the formation of this phenomenon came about. The Maqluba is a natural conical depression formed by the collapse of the underlying limestone strata, commonly known in geological terms as a doline. It is a sinkhole collecting rainwater from as far as a three-mile radius, water much needed to cater to the needs of its thick vegetation whilst allowing its access supply to penetrate the rock formation helping to maintain our underground water supplies.
The 'Maqluba' and 'Maqluba l-bahar' |qrendiscouts.org

il-Maqluba | Maltese folklore of giant scooping the land up

In Maltese folklore it is said that a giant was displeased with the local villegers so he scooped up a handfull of land and threw it into the sea, this is said to be the island of filfla
Beware huge hole in the ground - Il-Maqluba | virtualtourist.com

tal-Maqluba | village swallowed, church not destroyed (or built yet?)

This legend says that where today lies the area known as "tal-Maqluba", just south of the Maltese village of Qrendi, there once was an evil village. The people were so bad that God punished them by opening the ground and the whole village was swallowed by the earth. The opening in the ground stopped exactly in front a chapel, which is still present just by the edge of this enormous hole which is around 50 meters in circumference and around 40 meters deep.
Culture in the box - Malta, Tal-Maqluba (ppt) | google.co.uk

il-Maqluba | earthquake destroyed hamlet but formed crater?

According to legend, several hundred years ago, where the small chapel stands today, there was the humble abode of an old pious lady. The lady was always admonishing the erring inhabitants of a small hamlet situated where the depression is today. One day a terrible earthquake destroyed the hamlet but the old woman's house escaped any damage and was left, perched on the edge. This chapel, according to the legend was built to commemorate this event and to serve as a reminder to erring humans.
Il-Maqluba Legend (pdf) | visitmalta.com

il-Maqluba | it looks like a meteorite crater

i know this might sound stupid but it looks like a meteorite crater.
edit: may very well explain the immediate departure of the pre-historic temple builders, with the debris of such and impact, poor sunlight, nuclear rain and everything.
Qrendi (Il-maqluba u l-knisja ta' San Mattew) | vivamalta.org

il-Maqluba | Myth of lady in chapel and village turned upside down

The Maqluba Chapel at the top of the Maqluba valley...on the left of it is the small chapel of St Matthew and stairs leading down to the Maqluba valley. Maqluba means "turned upside down" and legend has it that there was once a village of bad people that lived in the valley with only one good lady who would pray in this little chapel. One day while she was praying there was an earthquake that turned the village upside down and killed all the bad people, but the good lady who prayed was safe. Some also believe that part of Filfla landed here in this valley...now that's a hard one to believe. I suppose this story was also used to encourage children to pray....hmmm.
Maqluba Valley and Chapel | chrisf.com.au