FUNGUS ROCK

Near Dwejra Point, it is the "Rock with mushroom" which is called by the Gozitans Il-Gebla Tal-Generalle, the "Rock of the General", because this famous mushroom was discovered by a general of the order of the Knights. A huge block of stone rising from the waters, 182 meters long, 61 meters high, the rock is covered in summer with flowers bearing a parasite, Fungus gaulitanus, endowed with rare healing properties for blood diseases and hemorrhages. This mushroom is practically unique in the world, and is used very sparingly, reserved for a few privileged people. The rock eventually became so famous that it had to be defended day and night against potential smugglers: anyone caught in an attempted robbery incurred a heavy penalty, if not immediately put to death. It is said that a man, in order to save his son, swam the 50 meters to the rock, grabbed hold of it and took a handful of these flowers. Arrested after having succeeded in bringing back his precious booty to his wife, he was sentenced to three years in the galley, which he endured with courage, knowing that his son was saved by his sacrifice. To retrieve the precious mushroom from the steep slope of the rock (whose surface was even polished to make it impossible to climb), the Knights built a funicular from the tower of Qawra, which can still be seen on the coast today. Nowadays, Fungus Rock has become a nature reserve.