It was around 8pm when we arrived at St. Julian, a small city in Malta, a southern European country. Malta consists of an archipelago situated centrally in the Mediterranean, 93km south of Sicily and 288km east of Tunisia, with the Straits of Gibraltar 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria 1,510 km to the east. Although I was sure that, as a European island, it would quiet and noone would be out and about at that time, I insisted on walking through the narrow streets and discovering this island of sun and sea as the Maltese people like to call it. After leaving my bag in a nearby hotel, I wandered through the streets, allowing my eyes to feast on the beauty of this island, which has a secret Arabic flavour. Malta is just over 300sqkm in area, making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. An advertisement on the wall of a place of worship for an ‘Internet Point' caught my attention. I walked into a garden outside and office, in order to check my e-mail. But I was feeling very cold. It seems that a young man called Mark had been watching me for quite some time, wondering who that girl was who insisted on sitting in the cold in a garden rather than hanging out at one of the many local night clubs. He walked across the street to me. In fact, I was wondering about him too. As a European man, he should surely have been having a good time in one of the clubs. Malta is a country of contrasts. It and its two smaller islands, Gozo and Comino, are home to 365 churches. If you see people flocking to Mass in the morning, you realise they're very religious; if you see them flocking to the clubs near Saint Julian's Church late at night, you also realise that some of them are very worldly too. He asked me to come into his bookshop and use his laptop, instead of sitting out there in the cold. He noticed that I'm a foreigner. Mark was speaking in English. The country has two official languages " Maltese and English " with Maltese being considered the national language. "You are Egyptian!" said Mark, before greeting me the Egyptian way with "Salam-o-Aliko”. When I smiled, Mark said that heonce had a Palestinian friend who taught him some Arabic words. "Our Maltese language is rich in Arabic idioms. Do you know that we say Um Allah, which in Arabic means the Mother of Jesus [referring to the Virgin Mary]?" asked Mark, who was delighted to have an opportunity to practise his Arabic. Maltese people love Arab people and speaking with them, and they also like to help them. Maybe it's because they feel that they are related to them, as about 40 per cent of their language is Arabic. Mark then invited me to see the prayer room in his bookshop, which he explained is also used for religious education and lectures to help people give up drugs. Mark is a Roman Catholic. Catholicism is the official and dominant religion in Malta. "Are you a Muslim?" he asked. I replied, "Yes, but I like going into churches in Egypt with my friend and lighting a candle as she does.” Mark smiled and gave me a candle: "And you can do so here too." After lighting the candle, he spoke of his love of Egypt and said that he would like to travel there one day. It was now 9pm and Mark said he was going to close his bookshop and return home. We exchanged e-mails, in order to keep in touch. I carried on walking. Malta represents a unique amalgamation of British, Muslim and Mediterranean cultures, which is reflected both in their language and culture. And yet the Maltese people are very proudly and distinctly Maltese, not Italian, English or Arabic. Malta is the ultimate destination to soak up history, culture and enjoy peace and calm in an idyllic setting. It has been fought over by many nations in its long history. The result is a fascinating blend of architectural and cultural variety. I was astonished by all the teenagers going in and coming out of the night clubs, which stay open till dawn. The crowd reminded me of el-Tahrir Square at 2pm in Egypt. Of course, people dress differently in Malta; despite the cold, the girls were wearing skimpy shirts or tight shorts. It was shocking for me to watch teenage couples drinking alcohol and kissing in the street, without anyone batting an eyelid. One of the island's main attractions is its history. This tempting spot was colonised by the Phoenicians around 1,000 BC. They were followed by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, French and finally the British, before Malta became independent in 1964. All have left their mark, but the main existing developments date from around the time of the military religious Order of the Knights of Malta, who spent more than a century guarding Christian Europe's southern borders from invasion by the Ottoman Empire. The next day, I decided to visit Valetta, the current capital of Malta, and also Mdina, the former capital. Buses are the primary method of public transport for the islands, and there is a relatively cheap and frequent service to many parts of Malta and Gozo. The vast majority of buses on Malta depart from a large circular terminus in Valletta. The island has had buses since 1905. Due to their appearance, Malta's classic buses have become tourist attractions in their own right and appear on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism, as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists. However, these old buses are slowly being replaced by a more modern fleet, albeit still customised in the tradition of the older buses. The buses in Malta are all dark yellow, with a band of orange. Throughout history, Malta's location has given it great strategic importance and a sequence of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Fatimids, Sicilians, Knights of St John, the French and the British have ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is a member of the United Nations (since 1964) and a member of the European Union (since 2004). Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreement (since 2007) and member of the eurozone (since 2008). On my way to Valletta, I passed through Selima, a very lovely city, much more like Alexandria. Selima's beaches swarm with tourists in the summer, but in December it wasn't too crowded. The busy capital city of Valletta is where all the action is in terms of business and politics. Similarly to Gozo, fields and crops coat the island and fortified cities and churches dominate the skyline. Most of the buildings are made of Malta's typical limestone and the colour of the sea that surrounds the islands is a deliciously clear blue. The Republic, Valetta's famous elegant shopping street, was full of tourists, when I arrived at around 12pm. I walked along the long street, looking at the famous trademark shops and its Arab-like buildings till I reached Saint John's Pro-Cathedral, which is a gem of Baroque art. Apart from its place among the most magnificent Baroque churches in the world, Saint John's is also an architectural metaphor for the Order of the Knights of St. John, who built it between 1573 and 1578. In a street parallel to the Republic, there is the Manoel Theatre, one of the oldest working theatres in Europe. It was constructed in 1731 by the Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena “for the honest entertainment of the knights". My last destination was Mdina, the Silent City. Stepping through the towering walls feels like moving back several centuries in time. Few cars are allowed inside and it is home to a few hundred people who live among the peaceful, ancient alleyways. There are some restaurants in Mdina, It's nice to stop and discover the Maltese cuisine, which is very similar to the Italian one, presumably for geographic reasons. No visit to Malta would be complete without visiting Mdina. Time stand still in its narrow, medieval byways. Mdina (an Arabic word meaning ‘city') was built under Arab rule. The byways look humbled by the solemn majesty of the marvellously decorated 17th century Saint Paul's Cathedral. The lovely blend of cultures in Malta made me fall in love this country and I dearly hope to visit it again.
