The tunnels, which are thought to date back to the 16th and early 17th centuries, were unearthed alongside the remains of an old fountain during an archaeological survey of Palace Square in the heart of the historic city of Valletta, which forms part of a 55-hectare World Heritage site.

According to local legend, the crusading  nights of Malta constructed an underground city on the Mediterranean island, but researchers from the Valetta Rehabilitation Project (VRP) disagree. ‘A lot of people say there are passages and a whole new city underground,’ said lead surveyor Claude Borg of the Valletta Rehabilitation Project. But, he believes them to be part of a highly elaborate and well-planned network of passageways and tunnels designed to supply and distribute fresh water throughout the city.

The Christian knights of Malta were off ered the island by the Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, subsequently defending it from the Ottoman Turks in 1565, after which time the fortified city of Valetta was established. A water system quickly followed, designed to overcome the city’s elevated position on a peninsula, away from freshwater sources.

June 2009