Native name: Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Fungus Rock  Fungus Rock | |
| Geography | |
| Location | offMalta,Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | 36°02′45″N14°11′27″E / 36.04583°N 14.19083°E /36.04583; 14.19083 |
| Archipelago | Maltese islands |
| Area | 0.007[1] km2 (0.0027 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 494 m (1621 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Administration | |
Malta | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Fungus Rock, sometimes known asMushroom Rock,[2] and among theMaltese asIl-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral (English:The General's Rock), is a smallislet in the form of a 60-metre-high (200 ft) massive lump of limestone at the entrance to an almost circular black lagoon inDwejra, on the coast ofGozo, itself an island in theMaltese archipelago. It is located at36°02′45″N14°11′27″E / 36.04583°N 14.19083°E /36.04583; 14.19083 and falls within the jurisdiction of the town ofSan Lawrenz.
The Dwejra nature reserve is administratively part of the town. The Fungus Rock is a prominent landmark of the reserve, as was formerly theAzure Window, before its collapse on March 8, 2017.[3]
TheKnights Hospitaller apparently discovered what is popularly known as theMaltese fungus growing on the rock's flat top. This plant, which is a kind of parasiticflowering plant, not afungus, has a repulsive smell. Doctors at the time believed that it hadmedicinal properties. The Knights used it as astyptic dressing for wounds and a cure fordysentery. They so prized it that they often gave gifts of it to distinguished noblemen and visitors to the Maltese islands.
Grand MasterPinto decreed the Rock out of bounds in 1746; trespassers risked a three-year spell asoarsmen in the Knights'galleys. He posted a permanent guard there and even built a precarious cable-car basket from the rock to the mainland, 50 metres (160 ft) away. He also ordered the sides smoothed to remove handholds.[4][5]
Pinto's efforts were perhaps unnecessary. Pharmacologists are studying the medical effects ofFucus coccineus melitensis[6] today.[when?][7]
Presently, Fungus Rock is a nature reserve. However, the shoreline nearby is accessible to bathers and the sea provides perfectsnorkeling. Divers may experience big rocks, tiny caverns and swim-throughs along with varied species that swim around the vicinity of the rock.[8]
The sunset can be photographed through the opening in Fungus Rock, but only from the inlet anchorage, and only during seasons when the sun descends the right way.
Media related toFungus Rock at Wikimedia Commons
