Ghajn Hadid Tower is a fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

 on the island of Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 built in 1658 by the Knights of Malta

Knights Hospitaller

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...

 under the auspices of Grand Master Fra. Martino De Redin. A watchtower, it stands on high ground on the cliffs known as Ghajn Hadid Cliffs, facing directly the stretch of coast known as "L-Ahrax tal-Mellieha" on the north shore of Malta.

It is one of a chain of de Redin towers

De Redin towers

The De Redin Towers are a series of thirteen small fortified watch towers that Grand Master Martin de Redin of the Knights of Malta built on the island of Malta between the year 1658 and 1659...

 towers that permitted communication between Gozo

Gozo

Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...

 and the Knights headquarters in Valletta

Valletta

Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...

.

The Ghajn Hadid Tower was severely damaged in 1856 due to an earthquake that hit the Maltese islands. The blockhouse situated nearby survived the earthquake.

The typical commemorative plaque is missing; however it is on public display in the nearby town of Mellieha at the "tas-salib" garden together with the 6-pound cannon that was installed in the tower till the 1856 disaster.

Gallery