The unusual enclosed Gallarija above Malta’s sidewalks.

They’re everywhere I turn, these unruly shadows looming over my head, casting shade on the people, on almost every street. They greatly resemble a smaller variant of the Italian loggia I saw in Rome, but world weary, scarred, and untamed.

Balconies have been an architectural item for thousands of years and their uses have evolved through local cultures and customs over the centuries.

These Maltese balconies are called Gallariji by the Italians, and are considered a modernization of the ancestral Maltese muxrabiji.

These, in turn, were an evolution of the historic Arabic architectural feature called a mashrabiya, which was a fully-enclosed balcony with ornate latticework to allow the fresh breeze into the apartment’s rooms while adhering to Islamic laws of privacy. – as shown here.

So many design influences over Malta’s 3400 year history . .

Many features of Arabic design are visible in the Maltese construction I walk past. A trip to the upland cities of Mdina or Rabat really puts that in front of you.

However, the closed wooden balcony is not unique to the Maltese Islands – it’s also in other Mediterranean countries. Its lineage is attributed to North African countries especially Morocco since it is here that the closest resemblance can be established.  The ‘Muxrabija’ window is another element considered to be the predecessor of the closed balcony and which also has its origins firmly rooted in Arabic and North African custom.

Literally a peep-hole looking from the inside outwards, a Muxrabija was generally a wooden window frame which screened the window space completely, like a shutter. It was effective in allowing the person on the inside to discreetly observe all that was going on outside, while not being visible to the people in the street below.

Historians believe the key to understanding its adoption and the paradox it implies was the status of women in Malta during the reign of the Knights who ruled Malta for over 260 years . Partly safety, partly privacy . . .

More about the history of the gallarija here.

Most gallariji today are brightly colored and contrast sharply with the tan of the building stone surrounding them.

Blues, reds, greens, browns, & formal black all present their facades during an evening walk after a large Maltese meal. Some appear to be in better condition than others. Many have interesting corbels supporting them, while the other sides & roof are seemingly attached flush to the wall.

In the suburbs of Valletta City you can find many examples of 20th century aluminum versions of the construction, but these are not considered gallariji, but just skywalls since they’re made of modern materials. The government has conservation programs for the original construction with wood & stone, which has helped them survive in spite of the arid climate.

Since the people of Malta have been (and continue to be) taxed on the land’s footprint rather than the total square footage, most buildings are built in townhouse fashion, vertically, to achieve their needed living space. This has lent itself to requiring more light & cross ventilation in the upper floors, hence the 3 sided balconies with lots of open window space above the wooden wall box.

When you look deeper, the balconies seem many and varied, each one visibly pointing to a specific era or a specific style of architecture. Some of the small wooden balconies can be found in the narrow streets of Valletta with only three windows.

But the most common wooden balconies we see throughout town have four or five windows. Also prevalent are the stone ones with wooden interiors, like here.

Ironically, the forced isolation of the coronavirus pandemic is, in a way, creating a new unifying experience through these gallarija.

With much of the world quarantined at home, there are countless examples of balcony culture bringing people together and offering a source of connection. Musical concerts, impulsive operatic solos, and just neighborly conversations are in the news weekly.

Perhaps the largest wooden balconies I’ve spotted are the original ones in Malta cornering the facades of the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta. The Grand Master de la Cassiere built the first covered-balcony in this palace in Valletta; soon it was copied by some of the Maltese homeowners for their own new homes on the island after 1675.

Whatever the size, the enclosed wooden balcony benefits the property with an extension looking to the world outside that also brings indoors extra light and air, while limiting heat and cold from entering directly inside.

Some owners have also devised a practical Maltese way of lowering a wicker basket on a rope for shops to deliver their goods in, whether it’s fresh bread or vegetables. Seems like a very practical energy saving mode of shopping from home especially useful for the elderly and others with limited mobility.  For the apartment dweller without access to a roof, the gallarija is also sometimes the place to hang the washing to dry.

Some buildings are a real hodge-podge of window openings.

Often there are basic windows, next to Juliet balconies, next to these Maltese enclosed ones.

It appears that the homeowners needed so much light & air that they added the 3 sided balconies to every room they could in their townhouses, as seen here.

Many amazingly survived their 2 year siege during WWII

Chances are good that many of the homes I’m walking by were rebuilt after the long siege that Malta endured during WWII and the balconies reflect that process.

In the civilian populated areas of the island, 5,524 private dwellings were destroyed, & 9,925 were damaged but repairable by all the bombs that were leveled at them.

No wonder the George Cross for bravery was awarded to the entire island of Malta by King George VI, so as to “bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people”.

They shade the streets and slow the winds too

When you walk down the streets, going up and down the hills, it is remarkable how these balconies capture the light and leave us in shade down on street level.

You end up walking and driving through narrow streets where the parking space almost has a balcony shading your car. Luckily they also limit the winds moving through these corridors, so you don’t get blown around. One of the proponents of these balconies was native Malta architect Silvio Mercieca, who designed many buildings with them. And now they’re all over.

No wonder the Planning Authority is so busy with inspections.

Turning down any street, I run into this feature on homes & above businesses facing the street. There are horror stories here about balconies that collapse into the street as part of a general renovation, but those episodes are few compared to the sturdy ones.

I haven’t been invited into one upstairs yet, to see their perspective, but I’m shmoozing the locals while I’m here. There may be an update posted later on.

Source: Wikipedia, Times of Malta, Malta Planning Authority,