Malta (island) built first fortifications in Malta. Malta was later ruled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs before it was occupied by the County of Sicily in 1091. The island then became part of the Kingdom of Sicily until it was given to the Order of Saint John along with Gozo and Tripoli in 1530. In 1565, the Order and the Maltese withstood a major Ottoman invasion which became known as the Great Siege of Malta. The Order ruled Malta for over 250 years and built many great pieces of architecture, including the capital city Valletta. In 1798 the French
Malta Freeport 680,000) to 790,000 square metres (0.79 km). Malta Freeport Malta Freeport is an international port on the island of Malta with a trade volume of 3.06 million TEUs in 2015. It is one of busiest ports in Europe. It lies in Birżebbuġa in the southeastern part of Malta, on the site of the former seaplane base RAF Kalafrana. Having been established in 1988, Malta Freeport was the first transhipment hub in the Mediterranean region. The company has experienced remarkable growth over the years and currently ranks twelfth among the top European ports and is the third largest transhipment and logistics