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THE ROMAN APIARY / IL-MIGBHA RUMNA
Apiaries are buildings/caves where bees are kept for the production of honey. Malta has always been known for its first-class honey; some even sustain that the name MELITA (Latin for Malta) is formed from the word MEL, which in Latin means honey.
Most apiaries were built facing south – an orientation beekeepers chose for maximum light and warmth needed by bees and were always at the top of the hill. This was artistically construited with arches and large stones worked to perfection.The building must date back to Funic-Roman Times. Could it have been originally a Columbarium – a place to hold funerary urns.