Information
Landmark: Turkish Military CemeteryCity: Paola
Country: Malta
Continent: Europe
Turkish Military Cemetery, Paola, Malta, Europe
Overview
The Turkish Military Cemetery, known in Maltese as Il-Qabar tal-Armata Turk, is a historic landmark in Msida, Malta, where rows of weathered headstones stand in quiet remembrance.This is where Ottoman soldiers who lost their lives in World War I are laid to rest, their graves marked on the quiet hillside where they once stood guard.During World War I, the British Empire used Malta as a vital military base, with its harbors crowded by warships and supply vessels.During the war, the British ran Malta as part of their military operations, and after the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, captured Ottoman soldiers were shipped to the island.Many never made it home-disease swept through the cramped prison camps, with tuberculosis and pneumonia claiming most lives.In 1918, just after the war ended, a cemetery was created to lay these soldiers to rest.It’s one of the rare Ottoman military cemeteries found beyond Turkey’s borders, and after World War I it was kept neat and quiet, a simple tribute to those who died in Malta during the fighting.Behind a low stone wall, the cemetery holds about 80 Ottoman soldiers, their graves set in tidy rows beneath the open sky.Each plot bears a traditional Ottoman tombstone, its tulip-shaped finial carved smooth, a symbol of life and resurrection in Islamic culture.A memorial stone at the entrance greets visitors with Arabic and Turkish inscriptions honoring the soldiers’ service in the war.The grounds are carefully kept, a quiet marker of the Ottoman Empire’s role in World War I and Malta’s part in that history.Maintained by the Turkish government, the site also reflects the enduring ties between Malta and Turkey.The Turkish Military Cemetery in Msida honors the Ottoman soldiers who lost their lives in Malta during World War I, standing as both a solemn reminder of their sacrifices and a testament to the enduring diplomatic and cultural ties between Malta and Turkey, marked by occasional visits from Turkish officials; open to the public and set in a quiet, shaded space near the University of Malta, it invites visitors to wander its paths, hear the soft rustle of leaves, and reflect, with the nearby Msida Seafront, the historic university, and the calm contrast to Mater Dei Hospital adding to its sense of place.It’s a quiet place to pause and remember, a stone reminder of Malta’s part in the Great War and its lasting bond with Turkey.The cemetery stays calm and dignified, drawing visitors who come to trace Malta’s wartime past and its ties abroad, where weathered headstones stand in neat rows under the sun.
