Fungus Rock on December 25, 2002

Fungus Rock , which also has the affectionate Maltese name 'Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral' (the General's 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 of Gozo, Maltese archipelago. The General of the Knights Hospitaller apparently discovered a rare tuber plant Fucus coccineus melitensis, mistakenly called a fungus, which grew on the rock's flat top. This repulsive smelling plant was believed to have medicinal properties and the Knights used it as a styptic dressing for wounds and a cure for dysentery. It was so prized that it was often presented as a precious gift to distinguished noblemen and visitors to the Maltese islands. Grandmaster Pinto decreed the Rock out of bounds in 1746 (trespassers were punished with a three-year spell in the Knights Hospitaller Order galleys), posted a permanent guard there and even built a precarious cable-car basket from the rock to the mainland 50 metres away. Later it was discovered that those efforts were for nought, Fucus coccineus melitensis has no medicinal properties whatsoever.

Nowadays, the Fungus Rock is a natural reserve but the shoreline near of it is accessible to bathers and the sea provides perfect snorkelling.