Information
Landmark: Azure Window RuinsCity: Gozo
Country: Malta
Continent: Europe
Azure Window Ruins, Gozo, Malta, Europe
Overview
The Azure Window-locals called it Tieqa Żerqa-was a striking limestone arch that drew visitors from around the world, standing tall above the blue waters off Gozo’s Dwejra Bay.On March 8, 2017, a fierce storm sent waves crashing until the iconic landmark gave way and tumbled into the sea.The arch may have vanished, but its submerged ruins still draw divers and visitors, who drift past coral-dusted stones in the quiet blue.The Azure Window was a massive limestone arch, shaped over thousands of years as waves crashed and salty winds carved it smooth.The Azure Window, a 28‑meter‑high limestone arch rising above the deep blue of the Mediterranean, once drew photographers, filmmakers, and TV crews for productions like *Game of Thrones* and *Clash of the Titans*.Years of erosion had eaten away at its base, with chunks breaking off into the waves before a fierce storm brought the whole structure crashing down.Now, its shattered remains rest on the seabed, forming a jagged underwater world teeming with life.Scuba divers weave through towering rock tunnels and shadowy crevices in the Dwejra Marine Protected Area, spotting octopuses curling into cracks, groupers gliding past, and moray eels peering from the stone.Nearby, the sheltered Inland Sea shimmers, linked to the open water by a narrow, cliff‑carved tunnel.Visitors can ride a boat through the tunnel to glimpse jagged coastal formations, then pass Fungus Rock-a tiny islet once prized for its rare medicinal cynomorium plant-before reaching the Blue Hole, a famed dive spot with a deep, vertical shaft opening into the sea; today, the ruins themselves are best explored underwater with scuba gear.If you don’t dive, you can still take a boat tour or wander the cliff paths to soak in the site’s beauty, though the rocky edges around Dwejra demand care underfoot.Even without the towering arch, the Azure Window stands in memory as a symbol of Gozo’s wild coastline and rich heritage, its shift from landmark to hidden underwater world a vivid reminder of nature’s power.Certified divers can explore the submerged ruins, while those on land will find the surrounding scenery-especially when the sky turns gold at sunset-worth capturing.As it’s a protected marine zone, leave nothing behind but footprints and keep wildlife undisturbed.Though the arch has vanished from the horizon, its spirit endures below the waves and in the hearts of those who loved it.Now, the site gives divers a fresh view, and it keeps pulling in visitors eager to watch Gozo’s landscape shift-like sunlight sliding across the cliffs.
