Qolla l-Bajda Battery

Qolla l-Bajda Battery
Batterija tal-Qolla l-Bajda
Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta
Qolla l-Bajda Battery
Map of Qolla l-Bajda Battery in its original configuration
Coordinates	36°4′47.4″N 14°15′4.6″E / 36.079833°N 14.251278°E / 36.079833; 14.251278
Type	Artillery battery
Site information
Owner	Government of Malta
Controlled by	Rook Limited
Open to the public	No
Condition	Intact but dilapidated
Site history
Built	1715–1716
Built by	Order of Saint John
In use	1716–19th century 1940s
Materials	Limestone
Battles/wars	World War II

Qolla l-Bajda Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Qolla l-Bajda or Fortina tal-Qolla l-Bajda) is an artillery battery in Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1715 and 1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. It retained its original layout until the late 1970s, when it was converted into a discothèque and snack bar known as Rook and major alterations were made to the battery. The building is now abandoned and in a dilapidated state, being in the midst of a legal battle between the government and a private company.

Qolla l-Bajda Battery is one of only two surviving batteries on Gozo, the other one being Saint Anthony's Battery in Qala. It is not far from the northernmost point of the island, Reqqa Point, and as such it is the northernmost fortification in Malta. The battery is also known by a number of other names, including Xwejni Battery (Maltese: Batterija tax-Xwejni), Qbajjar Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Qbajjar) or the Castello.

Qolla l-Bajda Battery was built by the Order of Saint John in 1716 on the spur of land between the bays of Xwejni and Qbajjar. It was named after a nearby hillock known as Qolla l-Bajda (the White Hillock). It was designed by the military engineers Jacques de Camus d'Arginy and Bernard de Fontet.

The battery is the only surviving part of a chain of fortifications that defended Marsalforn and nearby bays from Ottoman or Barbary attacks. The other towers, batteries, redoubts and entrenchments were all demolished or destroyed.

The battery consists of a semi-circular gun platform ringed by a parapet with six embrasures, and two blockhouses joined together by a wall. The blockhouses had musketry loopholes intended to protect the battery from a land attack. A ramp originally led to the entrance, which is located between the blockhouses. The battery's seaward side is protected by a small ditch, and salt pans are located close by.