Munxar

The village of Munxar lies to the South of the island of Gozo, between Xlendi Valley and the village of Sannat. Wedged between the sloping sides of two parallel valleys Munxar offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in Gozo. Munxar derives from Arabic meaning bucksaw, a description perhaps of the sheer rock faces of the scenic gorge nearby which seem deliberately cut out of the countryside. The ravine was in fact a river bed in the ice age. The village itself has numerous links with the sea, although it lies safely inland. The parish church is dedicated to the Islands' most famous shipwreck, that of St Paul in A.D. 60.

Munxar only became a parish in 1957 and remains a quiet village tucked away inland from its livelier sister village, the resort of Xlendi Bay. Also worth mentioning are the remnants of a prehistoric temple at Ta' Marziena in Munxar. However, although these temples date approximately to the Ggantija period, they were not as appropriately excavated and could not be appreciated by anyone less than an archaeological expert.