Azure Window

Coordinates: 36°03′12″N 14°11′18″E / 36.05333°N 14.18833°E / 36.05333; 14.18833

The Azure Window

"Azur Window", Westküste Gozo

The Azure Window (Maltese: Tieqa Żerqa) is a natural arch in the Maltese island of Gozo featuring a table-like rock over the sea. It is situated near two other famous natural landmarks - the Inland Sea, and Dwejra Bay. The stunning geography of the area was created thousands of years ago when two limestone caves collapsed. This and the nearby Blue Hole and Inland sea are popular scuba diving sites.

Dwejra is a tourist village that belongs to the town of St. Lawrence, Gozo, Malta. Dwejra Bay is also part of San Lawrenz. The water of the bay is suitable for swimming, scuba diving, and boating.

The Azure Window has been featured in films, such as Clash of the Titans (1981) at the 104th minute and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) at the 13th minute. It can also be seen in the television miniseries The Odyssey (1997), and HBO's TV series Game of Thrones. The filming of Game of Thrones resulted in controversy when a protected ecosystem was damaged by a subcontractor.^[1]

The Azure Window was recently measured by surveyor Noe Ardanaz of The University of Edinburgh. The height was given as 22.54m, slightly higher than the previous unofficial estimates of 18 to 20 metres.

The arch of the Azure Window is disintegrating, as large pieces of rock keep falling from the arch. It is expected that the arch will completely disappear within just a few years. The arch is in a dangerous condition and warning notices are placed to stop people walking over the top of the arch. Evidence of this can be seen when the images of the Azure Window as shown in Clash of the Titans (1981) are compared to the more recent images shown in The Odyssey (1997) and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). The former images depict the Azure Window arch with a flat underside, whereas the latter images clearly show that a significant proportion the flat underside has since broken away. Once the arch has completely crumbled away, the Azure Window shall be renamed Azure Pinnacle.

References

1. ^ Peregin, Christian (November 17, 2010). "‘Total elimination of ecosystem’ at Dwejra". The Times (Malta). http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101117/local/total-elimination-of-ecosystem-at-dwejra.336505. Retrieved August 21, 2011.