Dwejra’s Azure Window was ‘50 years older’ than thought

An illustration in a new book sheds fresh light on the age of the Dwejra Azure Window, setting its birth date almost 50 years before what was previously thought. Questions about the iconic landmark’s age arose soon after its sudden collapse in March 2017, with many positing theories as to just how old it actually was. Photographer Daniel Cilia had told Times of Malta the window could be around 140 years old. He had noted that an 1866 journal entry by Edward Lear did not mention the Azure Window but featured in an album by photographer Richard Ellis dated 1879. Read: Azure Window probably inherited name from nearby less-popular crevice An 1854 illustration of Dwejra found in a book by Thomas Spratt about the geology of Malta and Gozo also showed no opening in the cliffs, Mr Cilia noted. As the social media reacted to Mr Cilia’s comments, an illustration that attempted to dispute the 140-year theory soon emerged.  An 1824 aquarelle of Dwejra Tower, published in The Coastal Fortifications of Gozo and Comino by Alfred Sammut-Tagliaferro showed the window in the background.  Still, it was unclear whether it was an archway or a cave.  A pencil drawing in a newly-published book by...