Origins & History
Salt pans (għejun tal-melħ in Maltese) have been used in Gozo since at least Roman times. Their main purpose is the traditional harvesting of sea salt, by channelling seawater into carved pools where it evaporates under the sun. Families in Gozo have passed down salt-harvesting practices for centuries, especially around Marsalforn.
Construction & Process
Cut directly into the coastal limestone. Pools are of varying sizes: shallow pans for fast evaporation, deeper ones for storage. Harvesting usually takes place in the summer months (June–August).
Cultural Importance
Salt harvesting is both economic and cultural heritage, still maintained by a few Gozitan families. The Marsalforn salt pans are the most famous, stretching for about 3 km along the coast. Today, they are also a tourist attraction in addition to production sites.
Inventory of salt-pan sites in Gozo (near-complete)
| Number | Site name (common variants) | Approx. coordinates (lat, lon) | Degree of activity | Notes / source |
| 1 | Xwejni Salt Pans (Marsalforn / Xwejni Bay) | 36.0796, 14.2463 | Active (main commercial/seasonal site) | Largest, iconic chequerboard of pans; ~300 pans across the Marsalforn/Xwejni stretch, worked by local families in summer. |
| 2 | Qbajjar Salt Pans (Qbajjar / Qbajjar Bay, Marsalforn) | 36.076587, 14.253473 (Qbajjar area) | Partially active | Immediately east of the Xwejni pans; some pans still used, others historic. |
| 3 | Old Qbajjar / Il-Qolla l-Bajda pans | ~36.075–36.080, 14.250–14.255 | Historic / Remnant | Separate older pattern of pans (rounder/haphazard) and the Qolla l-Bajda locality noted in maps; partly disused. |
| 4 | Għar il-Qamħ / Ta’ l-Arloġġar area (Żebbuġ / Tal-Arloġġar) | ~36.078, 14.240 (Żebbuġ/Marsalforn coast) | Historic / Partly remnant | Historic site referenced in old maps and the ktieb study. |
| 5 | Il-Qolla l-Bajda (promontory near Qbajjar) | 36.079775, 14.251499
| Historic / Scenic | Small group of pans near the Qolla l-Bajda battery; mainly of heritage/visual interest. |
| 6 | Qala Point salt pans (east Gozo / Qala) | 36.0353, 14.3103 (Qala) | Partially active / Historic | Qala has a number of pans and rock-cut pits; some remain visible and occasionally used. |
| 7 | Xlendi salt pans / Xlendi area | 36.027746, 14.212475 (Xlendi) | Historic / small scale | A few small pans/rock pits are recorded near Xlendi (mostly scenic / less active). |
| 8 | Dwejra / Inland Sea area pans (west-central Gozo) | 36.0538, 14.1911 (Dwejra/Inland Sea) | Historic / Remnant | Dwejra is listed as having rock-cut pans in the study; these are mostly historic. |
| 9 | Ras il-Ħobż (north-east / Mġarr-ix-Xini vicinity) | 36.0161, 14.2794 (Ras il-Ħobż) | Historic / small | Named headland with nearby pans/rock pits recorded in fieldwork. |
| 10 | Ix-Xatt l-Aħmar (south Gozo coast site) | ~36.00–36.03, 14.20–14.25 (south coast) | Historic / Remnant | Listed as a south-Gozo site in the ktieb study (chapter 6). |
| 11 | Mellieħa Point (Gozo) | ~36.01–36.03, 14.20 (approx) | Historic / Remnant | Named in the Gozo chapter of the ktieb study; not the Mellieħa on Malta main island. |
| 12 | Ta’ Żirka and Tal-Melħ (Gozo coast sites) | ~various points along N/NE coast | Historic / partly disturbed | Listed clusters in the study — some were the subject of mid-20th century “modernisation” attempts and partial deterioration. |
| 13 | Comino / Cominotto pans | 36.007, 14.254 (Comino island area) | Small / partially used | Comino and Cominotto have a few small historic pans recorded in the study. |