Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the most densely populated town on the island.
Lining the coastline is a promenade known as the Sliema Front that has become the popular spot for joggers and walkers as well as a prolific meeting place for locals during the summer season. Sliema is also known for its numerous rocky beaches, water sports and hotels. The Strand in Sliema is a popular viewing spot for fireworks displays that take place in August.
Sliema, which means 'peace' or 'comfort', was once a quiet fishing village on the peninsula across Marsamxett Harbour from Valletta and has views of the capital city. The population began to grow in 1853 and the town was declared a parish in 1878. Now Sliema and the coastline up to neighbouring St. Julian's constitute Malta's main coastal resort.
Sliema is considered a desirable place to live and is relatively affluent, with extremely high property prices compared to the national average. Historically, stylish villas and traditional Maltese townhouses lined the streets of Sliema. Sliema has now been ringed with modern apartment blocks, some of which are amongst the tallest buildings in Malta. This has resulted in significant traffic, parking and construction-related noise pollution issues.
Residents of Sliema are stereotypically known for their usage of English as a first language, although this is changing in the 21st century due to demographic shifts. Maltese people from Sliema are referred to as .
Etymology
is the Maltese word meaning 'peace', and was used to salute someone. The triconsonantal root of the word is Š-L-M.
Sliema may have got its name from the Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel, that now no longer exists. It periodically served as a reference point for the sailors and fishermen in Marsamxett Harbour. The construction age of the church is unknown but it was included in a map by the Order of St. John even before being handed the Maltese islands to them. The name could thus be connected with the first words of the Hail Mary prayer, which in Maltese is .
There is also a possibility that the origin is from an Arabic first name or a Hebrew family name.
History
The Knights of Malta period At the Great Siege of 1565, il-Qortin, as it was then known, was a camp centre for Turkish troops led by Dragut. He met his fate there, having been killed by a bombardment from Fort Saint Elmo at the other flank of Marsamxett Harbour, where Sliema stands. Fort Tigné was eventually built by the Knights of St. John in the late 18th century and further developed by the British in later years.
The British period In 1855, a new church dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea ("Stella Maris") was opened to public worship. Around the new church, the small village grew into a town. By 1878, the population grew to such an extent that the religious authorities had the Stella Maris Church declared a parish in its own right and it was separated from St.Helen's parish of Birkirkara.
The town began to develop rapidly in the second half of the 19th century, becoming popular as a summer resort for wealthier Valletta residents. Their elegant villas and town houses lined the quiet, inland streets. Various Victorian buildings stood along its three-kilometre sea promenade which overlooked rugged rocks, farms and even a small sandy beach. In 1990 one of these farms which had been abandoned was transformed into a coastline garden known as (Independence Garden).
A few Victorian, as well as Art Nouveau houses, still remain in the inner streets, although only a handful remain along the shoreline, as there has been significant modern development of apartment blocks and hotels. A distinctive group of six traditional houses with Maltese balconies has survived remarkably intact at Belvedere Terrace, set back from Ix-Xatt (the Strand). These houses overlook Manoel Island to the South across the Sliema Creek; the houses have heritage protection and the lower buildings between them and Ix-Xatt cannot be built upwards.
The British built a number of fortifications on the Sliema peninsula in the 19th century. These were Sliema Point Battery (1872–1876), Cambridge Battery (1878–1886) and Garden Battery (1889–1894). In addition, the 18th century Fort Tigné remained in use as well, and barracks were built on the Tigné peninsula.
In 1881 the first sea water distillery on the island was erected in Sliema in order to provide water to the Tigné barracks. In 1882 the distillery was decommissioned and the building, which still stands today, has been occupied by a printing press since that time. The barracks it supplied water to were demolished in 2001 in order to make way for the development of Tigné Point development.
The town has a considerable number of streets connected with the British era in Malta, such as Norfolk Street, Amery Street, Windsor Terrace, Graham Street, Milner Street and Fort Cambridge.
In 1941, during the Second World War Siege of Malta, Sliema was hit by some Axis bombers during an air raid that caused the death of 21 civilians.
Post-independence
Sliema has been the site of intensive development in recent decades. The Victorian houses that lined Tower Road have all been replaced by apartment buildings built in modern architectural style. Several of these have views of the Mediterranean Sea or Valletta but their development has been controversial. The promenade has been upgraded in the late 1990s and is a common spot for leisurely walking, particularly on warm summer nights when it remains crowded into the early hours of the morning. Shopping is primarily centred in an area called the Ferries (the Strand or ix-Xatt, Tower Road and Bisazza Street) and the more recently opened Tigne Point shopping mall. Restaurants and cafés can be found along the promenade.
Development, high population density, parking problems and high property prices have led many younger people originally from the area to choose to live elsewhere on the island and consequently Sliema is suffering from an aging population. There are several foreign expatriates who reside in Sliema. There remains net inward migration to Sliema. The prevalence of use amongst Sliema residents of English as a first language is decreasing although it remains significantly higher than other localities on the island. Code-switching in English sentences with peppered Maltese words and phrases is relatively common in Sliema, as well as St. Julian's, Pembroke, Swieqi, Madliena, San Ġwann and Kappara, although there are several individuals who speak exclusively in English or Maltese without mixing the two (see Maltenglish). There are a number of Maltese people who are fluent in English but struggle with the Maltese language, and this reflects use of English at home and at English-speaking schools. Despite some misconceptions and stereotypes, the vast majority of people from Sliema are fluent in Maltese and speak it as a first language.
Geography
Locality is highly urban but surrounded with promenade and sea.
Sliema (or Tas-Sliema) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta. It is a center for shopping, restaurants and café life. Sliema is also a major commercial and residential area and houses several hotels. Sliema, which means ‘peace, comfort’, was once a quiet fishing village on the peninsula across Marsamxett Harbour from Valletta, but now Sliema and the coastline up to neighbouring St. Julian’s constitutes Malta’s main coastal resort.
Population and notable residents The population of Sliema is over 20,000 and has a significant turnover of foreign expatriates who reside temporarily. The town was the residence of the late Giorgio Borġ Olivier, former prime minister and architect of Malta's independence and the temporary residence of Manwel Dimech, a revolutionary thinker at the turn of the 20th century. He died in exile in Egypt and Lower Prince of Wales Road was renamed in his honour. Tas-Sliema is also the hometown of footballer Michael Mifsud and music artist Ira Losco.
The population of Sliema was 22,224 in July 2024. This included 11,365 males and 10,859 females; 10,250 Maltese nationals and 11,974 foreign nationals.
Following the introduction of the iGaming industry in Malta, Sliema has also seen an increase in the number of foreign residents, primarily from Scandinavia.
It was the birthplace of several people: former prime minister Alfred Sant; Michael Falzon of the Malta Labour Party; George Stivala, High Commissioner for Malta in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s; Archbishop George Caruana (1882–1951), the venerable Don Nazzareno Camilleri (1906–1973), British journalist Peter Hitchens, vocalist Marc Storace of the Swiss heavy metal band Krokus, and Dublin-based singer/songwriter Adrian Crowley.
Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien has a "residential address" as Flat 6/60, Suite F, Tigne Street in Sliema, according to O'Brien's own filing with the Companies Registration Office (CRO). The Maltese-born, American-naturalized actor Joseph Calleia lived in Sliema from his retirement in 1963 to his death in 1975.
Evelyn Bonaci, Maltese politician John A. Gauci-Maistre, Maltese businessperson Lino Grech, Maltese actor, writer, and director Guido Lanfranco, Maltese writer, naturalist, and folklorist Sir Luigi Preziosi, Maltese politician and ophthalmologist Simon Tortell, Maltese footballer Marjanu Vella, Maltese poet
Education Schools in Sliema:
St. Joseph School Sliema St. Francis' Girls' Secondary School St. Dorothy's St Patrick's Ursuline Creche St Benild's Government Primary School
English language schools Language Studies International (LSI) Geos English Language School School of Languages Linguatime School of English – Tower Road IELS – Mattew Pulis Street AM Language School ECS English Communication School English Language Academy Maltalingua LAL - Language Centres Malta
Landmarks
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church (Stella Maris) – Mother Parish of Sliema, est 1878 - The Stella Maris Parish Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Sliema, Malta. It is the matrice of the other parish churches in Sliema and Gżira, the oldest parish church dating from 1878.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish Church (Sacro Cuor) - The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Sliema, Malta was founded in 1877, and has been a parish church since 1918. Jesus of Nazareth Parish Church (Ġesù Nazzarenu) St Gregory the Great Parish Church (San Girgor) The Chapel of Our Lady of Graces
The Church of the Holy Trinity (Anglican) - The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Church of England church in Sliema, Malta which was built to resemble an English village church and opened in 1866. Fort Tigné - Fort Tigné (Maltese: Il-Forti Tigné - Il-Fortizza ta' Tigné) is a polygonal fort in Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John between 1793 and 1795 to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour. It is among the oldest polygonal forts still standing. The fort, altered by the British in the 19th century, remained in use by the military until 1979. Tigné Point - Tigné Point is a peninsula in Sliema, Malta. The area was originally occupied by several fortifications and a British barracks complex, which were left derelict for many years, until the area was redeveloped in the early 21st century. The area now contains many modern buildings used by both locals and tourists.