Malta submits UNESCO application to add fortifications to World Heritage List
Valletta fortifications, Cottonera Lines, Santa Margherita Lines, Mdina, Cittadella to be added
Malta has submitted an application to UNESCO to include Valletta's historic fortifications, along with the Cottonera Lines, Santa Margherita Lines, Mdina, and the Cittadella in Gozo, on the World Heritage List under the name “The Maltese Fortifications of the Knights of St John.”
The submission was led by the Ministry for Culture together with Malta’s Permanent Representation to UNESCO. The application forms part of ongoing efforts to highlight sites of universal value and preserve Malta’s cultural heritage.
The UNESCO World Heritage List was established under the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which Malta ratified in 1978. Just two years later, in 1980, Malta successfully added three key sites: the Ġgantija Temples in Gozo, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, and the city of Valletta.
In 1992, the inscription of the Ġgantija Temples was extended to include Malta’s Megalithic Temples, such as Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Ħal Tarxien, Ħaġrat, and Skorba Temples.
Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said the application is the result of years of work to identify sites with outstanding universal value suitable for UNESCO recognition. The application was submitted following consultation with experts known as the Upstream Process.
Bonnici added that, in an era of increasingly stringent UNESCO criteria, the exercise included extensive studies and consultations with international experts, as well as with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and its international advisory body, ICOMOS.
The initial application is now with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre ahead of the final submission on February 1, 2026. It will then undergo scrutiny and evaluation by international advisors before being submitted to the World Heritage Committee, which comprises 21 member states under the 1972 Convention.
UNESCO’s World Heritage List includes sites of extraordinary and universal value, recognised not only for their significance to local communities or nations but also to humanity as a whole. Inscription on the list enhances a site’s visibility, tourist interest, and the responsibility of states and communities to preserve it for future generations.