Comino (Maltese: Kemmuna) is an island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring 3.5 km² in area. Named after the cumin herb that once flourished on the Island, Comino is noted for its tranquility and isolation. The Maltese Islands is a group of islands in the Mediterranean. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Binomial name Cuminum cyminum L. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) (sometimes written cummin) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India. ...

The west coast of Comino, with St Mary's Tower as seen from the Gozo-Malta ferry

It has a permanent population of only four residents. One priest and one policeman commute from the nearby island of Gozo, to render their services to the local population and summertime visitors. Today, Comino is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 252 pixels Full resolution (3000 × 944 pixel, file size: 781 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 252 pixels Full resolution (3000 × 944 pixel, file size: 781 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... ... A nature reserve (natural reserve, nature preserve, natural preserve) is an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. ...

History of Comino

Comino is known to have been inhabited by farmers during Roman times, however for long periods in its history it has been sparsely populated, or abandoned entirely. Malta has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant pre-historic civilisation existed on the islands before the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. // about 5200 BC: People first arrive on Malta. ...

Its rugged coastline is delineated by sheer limestone cliffs, and dotted with deep caves which were popular with pirates and marauders in the Middle Ages. The caves and coves of Comino were frequently used as staging posts for raids on hapless boats crossing between Malta and Gozo. In later years, the Knights of Malta used this island as hunting and recreational grounds. The Knights were fiercely protective of the local game, which consisted of wild boar and hares (Maltese: fenek tal-grixti): upon conviction, poachers were liable to a penalty of three years as a galley slave.^[1] Pirates may refer to: A group of people committing any of these activities: Piracy at sea or on a river/lake. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known as Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta, Cavaliers of Malta, and the Order of St. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. ... Jack rabbit and Jackrabbit redirect here. ... A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley. ...

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Comino served as a place of imprisonment or exile for errant knights. Knights who were convicted of minor crimes were occasionally sentenced to the lonely and dangerous task of manning St. Mary's Tower. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

St. Mary's Tower

In 1416 the Maltese petitioned their king, Alphonse V of Aragon, to build a tower on Comino to serve as an early warning system in case of invasion, and to deter marauding Turks, pirates, smugglers and corsairs from using Comino as a hiding place and staging ground for devastating sorties onto the sister islands of Malta and Gozo.^[2] Two years later a special tax was levied on imported wine to raise funds for this project. However, the monies were diverted to the King's coffers, and the Island remained undefended for another two hundred years.^[3] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 468 × 599 pixels Full resolution (526 × 673 pixel, file size: 85 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Comino Wikipedia:WikiProject Malta/Gallery... May 30 - The Catholic Church burns Jerome of Prague as a heretic. ... Alfonso V of Aragon (also Alfonso I of Naples) (1396 - June 27, 1458), surnamed the Magnanimous, was the King of Aragon and Naples and count of Barcelona from 1416 to 1458. ... Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ...

Finally, in 1618 St. Mary's Tower (Maltese: it-Torri ta' Santa Marija) was erected by the Knights of Malta on the orders of Grandmaster Wignacourt. It was designed by Maltese architect Vittorio Cassar.^[4] Funds for its construction were raised primarily by means of the sale of Comino brushwood. Located roughly in the centre of the southern coast of the Island, it formed part of a chain of defensive towers installed at vantage points along the coastline of the Maltese Islands, and greatly improved communications between the Islands of Malta and Gozo. The Tower is a large, square building with four corner turrets, located about 80 metres above sea level. The Tower itself is about 12 metres tall, with walls that are approximately 6 metres thick, and is raised on a platform and plinth that are approximately 8 metres high.^[5] Events March 8 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion (he soon rejects the idea after some initial calculations were made but on May 15 confirms the discovery). ... St Marys tower is a fortification on the island of Comino, an island in the Malta archipelago. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Knights of Malta, Knights of Rhodes, and Chevaliers of Malta) is an organization that began as an Amalfitan hospital founded in Jerusalem in 1080 to provide care for poor and sick... Alof de Wignacourt was Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers of St. ... The Maltese Islands is a group of islands in the Mediterranean. ...

During times of crisis its garrison numbered up to 60 soldiers. By 1791 its armament included two 12-pound iron cannon, one 10-pound bronze cannon, one 4-pound bronze cannon, and two 3-pound bronze cannon. 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Should not be confused with Canon. ...

During the French Blockade (1798-1800), St. Mary's Tower served as a concentration camp for suspected spies. In 1829 it was abandoned by the British Military. For several decades it was deemed to be property of the local civil authorities, and may have been used as an isolation hospital, or even as a wintering pen for farm animals.^[6] The Tower saw active service once again during both World War I and World War II. Since 1982, the Tower has been the property of the Armed Forces of Malta. It now serves as a lookout and staging post to guard against contraband and the illegal hunting of migratory birds at sea. Malta has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant pre-historic civilisation existed on the islands before the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. // about 5200 BC: People first arrive on Malta. ... Year 1798 (MDCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... // ON MAY 5 1853 MR.FADER HAD SEX WITH A MAN NAME MR WIEN THEN THEY HAD SON NAMEDMRS COTURE AND MR MANOOGIAN WENT INTO MRS HASKELLS OFFICE NAKED AND DANCED AROUND AND MASTERBATED ON HER CHEST AND SHE LICKED IT OFF THEN THEY HAD ORAL SEEX WITH NAPLOEAN OF... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Armed Forces of Malta is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. ... Contraband consists of items of which possession may be illegal, depending on the variety and the country or the age or sex of the possessor. ... “Hunter” redirects here. ... Long-distance land bird migration Many species of land birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the southern hemisphere. ...

St. Mary's Tower underwent extensive restoration between 2002 and 2004. Today, it remains the most notable structure on Comino, and provides a destination for tourists taking walks around the Island. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other buildings and structures

A tiny Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to the Sacred Family Upon its Return from Egypt is located above Santa Marija Bay. Built in 1618, and enlarged in 1667 and again in 1716, the Chapel was originally dedicated to the Annunciation. It has been desecrated and reconsecrated at least once in its history, when Comino was devoid of residents. The earliest record of a chapel on this site dates back to the 12th century, and can be seen in a navigational map of the period, located in the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.^[7]. Mass is celebrated in the chapel on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings for the residents, hotel staff and tourists. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Events March 8 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion (he soon rejects the idea after some initial calculations were made but on May 15 confirms the discovery). ... // Events January 20 - Poland cedes Kyiv, Smolensk, and eastern Ukraine to Russia in the Treaty of Andrusovo that put a final end to the Deluge, and Poland lost its status as a Central European power. ... // Events August 5 - In the Battle of Peterwardein 40. ... A key piece of the Paleologan Mannerism - the Annunciation icon from Ohrid. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom, and one of the most important in the world. ... Royal Observatory, Greenwich one of the hyper-accurate chronometers at the observatory. ... Greenwich is a town, now part of the south eastern urban sprawl of London, England, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

St. Mary's Battery, built in 1716, at the same time as various other batteries around the coastline of mainland Malta, is situated facing the South Comino Channel. It is a semi-circular structure with a number of embrasures facing the sea. The Battery still houses two 24-pound iron cannons, and remains in a fair state of preservation mainly due to its remote location. Its armament originally included four 6-pound iron cannons. The Battery underwent restoration in 1996 by the Maltese heritage preservation society, Din l-Art Ħelwa. St. Mary's Redoubt, an additional defensive structure, was also constructed in 1716 on the northern coast of Comino, however it was subsequently demolished.^[8] The Knights also constructed army barracks on Comino. In the early 20th century the barracks were periodically used as an isolation hospital.^[9] // Events August 5 - In the Battle of Peterwardein 40. ... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Comino Hotel, with its two private beaches, a 1960s development, is located above San Niklaw Bay. There are also holiday bungalows by Santa Marija Bay. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

There is a police station located between the holiday bungalows and the chapel.

The only other commercial enterprise on Comino is a pig farm, which is located on the remote, south east corner of the Island.

Interesting facts and folklore

• In the past, and well into the 20th century, whenever the seas were too rough for the Gozitan priest to make the crossing to Comino for the celebration of Holy Mass, the local community would gather on the rocks at a part of the Island known as Tal-Ħmara, and gaze across the channel towards the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks (Maltese: il-Madonna tal-Blat), in Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Gozo, where Mass was being celebrated. They followed along with the progression of the Mass by means of a complex flag code.

• From 1285 until some time after 1290, Comino was the home of exiled prophetic cabbalist Abraham Abulafia. It was on Comino that Abulafia composed his "Sefer ha-Ot" (The Book of the Sign), and his last work, "Imre Shefer" (Words of Beauty).

• According to Maltese folklore, a mystical hermit named Kerrew would occasionally cross the channel between Malta and Comino on his cloak to meet the renowned cabbalist, Abulafia.

(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) presiding at the 2005 Easter Vigil Mass in place of the dying Pope John Paul II. Mass is the term used of the celebration of the Eucharist in the Latin rites of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... For broader historical context, see 1290s and 13th century. ... Abraham Abulafias Light of the Intellect 1285, Vat. ... Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, material culture, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. ...

Tourism and film industry

Between Comino and adjacent islet of Cominotto (Maltese: Kemmunett) lie the transparent, cyan waters of the Blue Lagoon (Maltese: Bejn il-Kmiemen, literally "Between the Cominos"). Frequented by large numbers of tourists and tour boats daily, the Blue Lagoon is a much photographed, picturesque bay, with a brilliant white, sandy base, and a rich marine life that make it popular with divers, snorkelers and swimmers. Other beaches on Comino include St. Mary Bay (Maltese: Ramla ta' Santa Marija) and St. Nicholas Bay (Maltese: Bajja San Niklaw). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixels Full resolution (808 × 542 pixel, file size: 93 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Comino Wikipedia:WikiProject Malta/Gallery... ... Cyan (from Greek κυανοs, meaning blue) may be used as the name of any of a number of a range of colors in the blue/green part of the spectrum. ... A snorkeler amid corals on a coral reef near Fiji. ...

Comino is a popular location for filmmakers. It appears in the movies Troy, The Count Of Monte Cristo and Swept Away. Most notably, St. Mary's Tower on Comino was featured in the film The Count of Monte Cristo, where it doubled as the Château d'If. Troy is a movie that was released on May 14, 2004 about the Trojan War, which is described in Homers Iliad, Virgils Aeneid, and other Greek myths as having taken place in Anatolia (modern Turkey) around the 13th or 12th century BC; however, the plot differs greatly from... The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2002 film based upon the book The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Swept Away is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Madonna (Guy Ritchies wife), Adriano Giannini, and Bruce Greenwood. ... The Château dIf is a stable (later a prison) located on the island of If, the smallest island in the Frioul Archipelago situated in the Mediterranean Sea about a mile offshore in the Bay of Marseille in southeastern France. ...

References

1. ^ Malta Tourism Authority, "Comino"
2. ^ R. Pullicino, "Comino"
3. ^ Christian Formosa, "St. Mary's Tower," in A Military History of Malta.
4. ^ Għajnsielem Local Council, "Places of Interest"
5. ^ Din l-Art Ħelwa, "Santa Marija Tower in Comino"
6. ^ Din l-Art Ħelwa, "Santa Marija Tower in Comino"
7. ^ Ministry for Gozo, "il-Gżira ta' Kemmuna"
8. ^ Christian Formosa, "Map of Comino" in A Military History of Malta.
9. ^ Joseph Camilleri, l-Istorja tan-Nursing f'Malta, translated into English and edited by Catherine Sharples. Online at the Ministry of Health website.

External Links

• Comino / Gozo Photos
• My-Malta Comino chapters
• The Comino Hotel
• Comino: Treasure Island - Article on GuidetoMalta.net

v • d • e

Islands of Malta

Malta Island (Malta) • Gozo (Għawdex) • Comino (Kemmuna) • Cominotto (Kemmunett) • Filfla (Filfla)
St Paul's Island (Il-Gżejjer ta' San Pawl) • Manoel Island (Il-Gżira Manwel) • Fungus Rock (Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral) To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... Map of Malta, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Malta Geography of Malta Gozo Island Categories: CIA World Factbook images ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malta. ... Map. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ... ... Filfla is a small, barren, uninhabited islet 5 km south of Malta, and is the most southerly point of Maltese Archipelago. ... St Pauls Island (or better St Pauls Islands as they are two of them when the sea is more rough) is a flat islet laying in St Pauls Bay on the island of Malta. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Fungus Rock on December 25, 2002 Fungus Rock , which also has the affectionate Maltese name Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral (the Generals Rock) is a small islet, 60 metres high massive lump of limestone in the entrance to an almost circular black lagoon in Dwejra, on the island...

 

Coordinates: 36°01′N, 14°20′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...