Malta’s Fort St. Angelo

During the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Ottomans finally managed to take Fort St. Elmo after a month of continuous bombardment.

The capture of little St. Elmo had originally been projected to take a few days, but instead had taken weeks and had cost the Ottomans 6,000 men.

Amidst the smoldering rubble, the leader of the Ottoman force, Mustafa Pasha, stood looking out at the enormous Fort St. Angelo across the harbor and uttered the above quote.

A few weeks later on September 11th, the Ottoman forces left Malta in defeat.

Today, after a €13 million restoration, Fort St. Angelo is as formidable as ever.

The above image was taken from across the harbor in Valletta, near Fort St. Elmo.

The tri-masted super yacht to the right of St. Angelo is the famed ‘Maltese Falcon’.