Turkish Military Cemetery

Iċ-Ċimiterju tat-Torok stands in Marsa, a town in Malta’s southern region. It is a walled Muslim cemetery built in 1873–74 for Ottoman soldiers and sailors. The architect was Emanuele Luigi Galizia, a Maltese designer who blended oriental motifs with local stone. The entrance has an onion dome and four slender minarets topped with limestone cupolas. Inside, arcades with horseshoe arches surround an open courtyard and ablution fountain. The cemetery is worth the journey because it reflects Ottoman influence beyond Turkey’s borders. Sultan Abdülaziz commissioned it after earlier Muslim burial grounds were lost to road works. Galizia received the Order of the Medjidie for this design, marking a rare honour for a Maltese architect. It later became a landmark for its exotic style, even earning the nickname ‘the Ottoman Taj Mahal’. The site also holds graves of Moroccan pilgrims lost in the 1908 SS Sardinia disaster and Turkish prisoners from the First World War. Visitors find a quiet rectangle of limestone walls and shaded arcades. Grave markers face Mecca, and some bear 19th-century Turkish calligraphy. The courtyard fountain remains a place for ritual washing before prayers. Though usually closed, special visits can be arranged through the Turkish embassy. The cemetery is cared for today by Turkey and listed as Malta’s highest heritage grade.