THE LOSS OF A GEM OF GOZO ISLAND

The Gourgion Tower of Xewkija was considered an architectural gem and a symbol of the history of the Gozo island in Malta.

When the US army decided to flatten the area in 1943 to make an airfield for the forthcoming Sicily campaign, many people raised their voices in protest against the decision of demolishing the tower in order to make space for an airfield. Foremost amongst the protest there was the distinguished Gozitan patriot Lawrence Zammit Haber.

Although this destruction favored the liberation of an entire region of Italy, the price to pay was the destruction of a piece of the history of Gozo and Malta.

Below you can find a selection of open access papers providing more details about the destruction of the Gourgion Tower.