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Malta

Fungus Rock (Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral)

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Places to see

Natural Monuments

Malta

Fungus Rock (Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral)

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Fungus Rock (Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral)

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    Location: Malta

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    Best Hikes to Fungus Rock (Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral)

    4.8

    (28)

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    1. Gozo Salt Pans – Ghasri Valley loop from Victoria

    26.0km

    07:37

    630m

    630m

    Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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    Hard

    4.7

    (16)

    54

    hikers

    2. Rabat's narrow alleys – Fungus Rock loop from Victoria

    16.1km

    04:43

    420m

    420m

    Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Moderate

    4.3

    (3)

    35

    hikers

    3. Sanap Cliffs – Fungus Rock loop from Victoria

    22.1km

    06:41

    660m

    660m

    Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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    Hard

    Tips

    November 15, 2022

    Fungus Rock, sometimes known as Mushroom Rock,[2] and among the Maltese as Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral (English: The General's Rock), is a small islet in the form of a 60-metre-high (200 ft) massive lump of limestone at the entrance to an almost circular black lagoon in Dwejra, on the coast of Gozo, itself an island in the Maltese archipelago. It is located at 36°02′45″N 14°11′27″E and falls within the jurisdiction of the town of San Lawrenz.

    The Knights Hospitaller apparently discovered what is popularly known as the Maltese fungus growing on the rock's flat top. This plant, which is a kind of parasitic flowering plant, not a fungus, has a repulsive smell. Doctors at the time believed that it had medicinal properties. The Knights used it as a styptic dressing for wounds and a cure for dysentery. They so prized it that they often gave gifts of it to distinguished noblemen and visitors to the Maltese islands.

    Grand Master Pinto decreed the Rock out of bounds in 1746; trespassers risked a three-year spell as oarsmen in the Knights' galleys. He posted a permanent guard there and even built a precarious cable-car basket from the rock to the mainland, 50 metres (160 ft) away. He also ordered the sides smoothed to remove handholds.

    Pinto's efforts were perhaps unnecessary. Pharmacologists are studying the medical effects of Fucus coccineus melitensis today.

    Today, Fungus Rock is a nature reserve. However, the shoreline nearby is accessible to bathers and the sea provides perfect snorkeling.

    The sunset can be photographed through the opening in Fungus Rock, but only from the inlet anchorage, and only during seasons when the sun descends the right way.

      April 30, 2023

      At the time of the Knights of Malta, a plant was growing on the rock, which was used to stop bleeding.

      Translated by Google •

        March 16, 2024

        We never tire of admiring these landscapes of rocky islets, pure joy!

        Translated by Google •

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          Elevation 30 m

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          Monday 24 November

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          Location: Malta

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