In-Nadur the village of the rising sun, is the most populated district of Gozo. It was one of the first hamlets of the island to be raised to the status of a village. It took place in 1688, when Nadur with its outlying area was dismembered from the Matrice parish in the Citadel and established a parish on its own. The village centre lies 5.75 kilometres away from it-Tokk, the centre of Victoria, Gozo. It is full to the brim with natural and historic attractions.
In-Nadur is situated in the notheast part of the island of Gozo nestled between the villages of Qala, Ghajnsielem, and Xaghra. It lies along the spine of a hilltop some 152 metres above sea level. The village is largely amorphous and appears to have no real core, its houses stretching out for a considerable distance in several directions.
The toponym Nadur is very fitting for this village. It is derived from the Maltese verb nadur, meaning to observe at length and, thus to keep guard. The word is in turn derived from the Arabic verb nazara, to dominate from a high spot or from a ship’s mast. A headland on il-Qortin tan-Nadur is in fact called il-Ghassa tal-Mahrax, the guard-station at the wilderness. This lies between the valleys of San Blas and ir-Ramla.
Several other strategic headlands in Malta and Gozo, the site of former guard stations, are called in-Nadur. The best known is Borg in-Nadur, a bronze Age fortified settlement close to the port of Birzebbuga, Malta. With the advent of the Aragnese in the late thirteenth century, these sites were renamed guardia in Castillian and in Maltese they became wardija.
The earliest settlement probably flourished at Ta’ Hida, literally the Falcon’s; the earliest known chapel, referred to infra, was in the area. The next to be inhabited might have been San Blas, so called after a chapel of Saint Blaise; the fertile fields in the area certainly attracted farmers. The third was probably the Ramla area, a section that is blessed by many natural springs. These beautiful springs and mature gardens have transformed Nadur into one of the most pleasant villages and one of the most delightful spots on the island.
The same is first recorded as nadur in a document of 4 March 1534 (Cathedral Archives, Malta, Acta Originalia, 16B, folio 451v) and is referred to as contrada, a name that infers that there was already some farmsteads in the area.
The same is first recorded as nadur in a document of 4 March 1534 (Cathedral Archives, Malta, Acta Originalia, 16B, folio 451v) and is referred to as contrada, a name that infers that there was already some farmsteads in the area.
The people of Nadur are known as Nadurin. A single male is a Naduri and a female is Nadurija.