Xlendi Underwater Archaeological Park

Hidden beneath the azure waves of Xlendi Bay in Gozo lies a treasure trove of archaeological wonders, waiting to be discovered. While the Phoenician shipwreck from the 7th century BC steals the limelight, there is a wealth of other remarkable artefacts to be found. Since the late 1950s, a captivating array of cultural relics, with amphorae leading the way, has been meticulously rescued from the inlet’s depths just beneath the sentinel-like coastal watch tower that proudly stands at the entrance of Xlendi. Various exploratory projects were conducted on this deep-water multi-period site with mixed results. In 1993, a submarine survey revealed a dense scatter of amphorae located in depths varying between 108 and 112 metres. In 2007, the extent of this archaeological deposit was mapped and recorded, revealing a rectangular zone of high archaeological value consisting of varying densities of archaeological material spread over a total area of 67,000m². Besides the visible material, the prese