Naxxar
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Naxxar In-Naxxar |
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| Local council | |||
Naxxar Parish Church
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| Motto: Prior Credidi (First to Believe) |
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| Coordinates: 35°54′54″N 14°26′41″E / 35.91500°N 14.44472°ECoordinates: 35°54′54″N 14°26′41″E / 35.91500°N 14.44472°E | |||
| Country |
 Malta
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| Region | Northern Region | ||
| District | Northern District | ||
| Borders | Għargħur, Iklin, Lija, Mosta, Pembroke, St. Paul's Bay, Swieqi | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Maria Fatima Deguara (PN) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (March 2014) | |||
| • Total | 13,443 | ||
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Naxxari (m), Naxxarija (f), Naxxarin (pl) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | NXR | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| ISO 3166 code | MT-38 | ||
| Patron saint | Our Lady of Victories | ||
| Feast Day | 8 September | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Naxxar (Maltese: In-Naxxar) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of about 13,443 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxxar was formerly known for hosting the Maltese International Trade Fair at Maltese International Trade Fair Grounds.
The Naxxar Locality is spread over an area of 11 square kilometres (4 sq mi) and has a population of over eleven thousand persons. The whole locality comprises the Naxxar centre, Sgħajtar area, Santa Marija tax-Xagħra, San Pawl tat-Tarġa, Birguma, Magħtab, Salina, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and part of Madliena.
Naxxar is famous for its cart ruts (cart tracks) that curve and twist down the Great Fault escarpment.
It is not easy to determine when Naxxar started to become a village. What is sure is that thousands of years ago, there already existed some form of habitation in Naxxar. This is evidenced by the caves at Tal-Qattara and at Ta’ San Brinkaw; megalith remains of the Bronze Age period at Tal-Qadi and at Qaliet Marku; the cart ruts which start at Salina up to it-Targa and appear later on near the Ghadira tal-Wej and which are probably of the Bronze Age; Punic tombs at the Naxxar Primary School and it is said also in St George Street and Leli Falzon Street; as well as the Catacombs at Salina and Maghtab.
According to legend and the Bible, the people of Naxxar were amongst the first to help the shipwrecked, including Saint Paul, when the ship he was on went aground on the rocks. For this reason many connect the name Naxxar with Nassar (Nasra) which means 'conversion to Christianity'. The name might alternatively be derived from the Maltese verb "Naxar", which means to hang up clothes. Others insist that the name comes from "Nsara" or "Nazaroei" which means 'those who believe in the teachings of Christ who came from Nazareth and thus "Nozri"'. Others say that the word Naxxar means 'one who saws, separates or cuts' – it might be worth mentioning that in Naxxar there are a lot of stonemasons. Magri, in his book says that the word naxar comes from "nazar" which in Jewish means "chosen for him" or else "one who keeps to himself". This is because in the vicinity the Arabs had formed a village that they called Hal Muselmiet, which means 'the village of the Muslims'. For this reason the Christians started another village – that of the Christians and so the name of Naxxar.
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Wikipedia