Tal-Ħandaq is an area in Qormi, Malta.^[1] It is a low hill, situated on the left side of Mdina Road in Qormi.

Etymology

Tal Handak is the British spelling of the town of Tal-Ħandaq.

History

In the old days it was a rural area, with a few farms. In the 19th century, the British established a barracks up the hill. Between January 1947 and July 1978, Tal-Ħandaq was the site of the Royal Naval School Tal-Handaq. The site re-opened as a new school in September 1981 as the Liceo Vassalli Junior Lyceum.^[2]

In the 1980s, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) started to issue permissions for houses to be built. However, after some residents settled there, plans were changed and Tal-Ħandaq was changed to an Industrial Zone and was renamed to Tal-Ħandaq Industrial Estate'.

Present Day

Nowadays, although some residents and a few farms remain, the area has flourished with an extensive number of small businesses, the most common being panel beating and spray painting, stoneworks, steelworks and woodworks. There is also a film studio. Two schools were also built in the late 2000's and early 2010's.

References

35°52′13″N 14°28′10″E / 35.87028°N 14.46944°E / 35.87028; 14.46944