Interpreting the heritage of Dingli Cliffs
Heritage refers to the social role and ethical involvement that should be promoted by everyone to forward a healthy environment. Heritage is intricately linked to sustainability and it may be divided into cultural and natural heritage. The Cliffs Interpretation Centre, located in one of Malta’s designated Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) has aimed to promote the natural and cultural heritage of Dingli Cliffs and the surrounding areas from its inception i.e. for the past five years.
Dingli’s Cultural Heritage
Cultural heritage is made up of the landscapes, structures and relics that the present has inherited from past generations, to be upheld and preserved for future generations. Cultural heritage is related to the archaeological and historical aspects of a setting.
At Dingli Cliffs, there are several landmarks of cultural heritage. The trails supported by The Cliffs Interpretation Centre promote the surrounding landscape. Specifically, the trail map developed by The Cliffs Interpretation Centre highlights the surrounding areas of cultural heritage, which can be encountered whilst walking along the trail.
The Radar, just 100m from The Cliffs Interpretation Centre is the first historical landmark of Dingli Cliffs. St. Mary Magdalene Chapel is another spot of cultural heritage at Dingli Cliffs, attesting to the religious traditions of the local community throughout the years.
Several archaeological features are also found in the surrounding areas and include cart ruts, silo pits, caves, ancient tombs, remains of a troglodytic wall, etc… All these locations, highlighted through The Cliffs trail map can be found within a couple of kilometres from The Cliffs Interpretation Centre.
The natural environment and its value for heritage
Natural heritage is made up of biodiverse life forms and the natural environment, including geology, geomorphological features, ecology, water resources, etc…
All five rock layers of the Maltese Islands can be seen at Dingli Cliffs, together with the landforms that are shaped by geology. The karstic plateaux on top of the cliffs are home to the garrigue vegetation community, with its diverse plant and animal life. The cliffs themselves host areas of rupestral vegetation, together with several boulder scree features.
There are over 1100 natural flora in the Maltese Islands, and many of them have culinary and medicinal purposes. The Cliffs Interpretation Centre has rejuvenated certain past traditions and studied knowledge systems of the local trees and their indigenous fruits to promote the surrounding natural environment.
Several of the features of cultural and natural heritage at Dingli Cliffs and the surrounding areas are the highlight of the FREE audio-visual and FREE guided walks that are organised by The Cliffs Interpretation Centre. Such free tours signify a sustainable approach, to provide the very best to all visitors regardless of their budget.
