The popular limestone arch located in Malta, called The Azure Window, collapsed into the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday. It all happened during a very powerful storm which hit the country. The beautiful natural landmark became iconic for Malta and many tourists captured it in their vacation photos. Moreover, the limestone also appeared in numerous movies, “Clash of the Titans” and TV shows, “Game of Thrones”, where it served as the location for the wedding between Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) and Khal Drogo (played by Jason Momoa), back in 2011.
A sad day for Malta
The Azure Window was situated on the Gozo island and its official name was Tieqa tad-Dwejra. The prime minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, posted a message on Twitter in which he stated that many reports over the years had indicated that the landmark could not survive for much longer. According to a 2013 study, scientists expected the structure to collapse soon or later but nobody thought it was going to happen so quickly. Natural corrosion was its main enemy and it seems like it indeed affected its structure. Moreover, tourists are also to blame for the damage inflicted on it. Many of them were reportedly jumping off it into the Mediterranean and breaking parts of the rock in the process. Because of this, the authorities established a fine of $1,500 for those who were breaking the law.
#Dwejra #AzureWindow site today. Picture by @Armed_Forces_MT pic.twitter.com/9reBk7nmr5
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017
Many other officials from Malta posted messages on Twitter in which they expressed their sadness for the fact that such an iconic landmark will not exist anymore. Some even called it part of the country’s “natural beauty”. The Gozo Tourism Association released an official statement. In it, they said that sadly, the natural monument found its end in the same place it was born thousands of years ago. Moreover, according to them, over 80 per cent of the tourists were coming to the island to visit the famous rock formation.
Historical #AzureWindow has collapsed this morning in #Gozo.
Featured in @GameOfThrones. pic.twitter.com/b0Byf8uTsA
— Gianluca Lia (@gianlia96) March 8, 2017
#Gozo, just lost it's famous #azurewindow due to heavy winds and storms. such a sad day… now we only have photos to admire this beauty! pic.twitter.com/2yxIli4346
— Fabio Muscat (@FabioMuscat) March 8, 2017
People are mourning the Azure Window
Many people on the social media platforms began posting messages and pictures which they took with the arch during their vacations in Malta. Moreover, a local resident said that he was present at the site when the storm hit the arch. According to him, it immediately collapsed, like it never existed. He said that he heard a loud noise and the Azure Window broke. It then fell into the Mediterranean Sea, leaving behind only photos and memories.
In the end, it seems like the nature took back what it created. While it is sad that such beautiful natural landmarks are disappearing, there is nothing the humanity can do to stop this from happening. All in all, we can only protect them while they are still here, while also enjoying the beauty they have.
Image source: here
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