Nadur, often referred to as the village of the rising sun, is the most populated district on Malta’s sister island of Gozo and is located on the Eastern part of the island.

The name Nadur is derived from the Maltese verb of the same name, meaning to observe at length and keep guard. The word, in turn, is derived from the Arabic verb nazara, which means to dominate from a high spot, or from a ship’s mast. This appears on the village’s coat of arms, showing the sun rising from the blue sea. Other strategic headlands across the Maltese islands, the sites of former guard stations, are called in-Nadur.

As one might imagine, the Nadur played a crucial role in the defence of the island throughout the years. During the time of the Knights of St John, from 1530 to 1798, a watch tower was built by the Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner, called the Sopu tower. Another in Nadur, called the Ta’ Kenuna Tower was also built by the British during the 19^th century, bringing the two islands together with a telegraph link.

Nadur was one of the first hamlets of the island to be raised to the status of a village. From the very beginning, it is believed that people resided in the San Blas area, which is now located in Nadur, well before St Paul shipwrecked in Malta. When people were less afraid to sleep outside the walls of the only fortress in Gozo, located in Rabat, they began settling on the hill of Nadur at ta’ Hida. As the population grew, people living on the eastern side of the island requested that the church authorities erect a parish near their homes. In the interim, a chapel in Qala served as a provisionary parish church, till the new one was built on the hil.

Bishop David Palmieri visited the area in 1687, listened to their requests and on Aprile 28, 1688, a parish dedicated to St Peter and St Paul was built. The church was built within 15 years and the village of Ta’ Nadur soon became known as Nadur.

Nowadays, it is nestled between the villages of Qala, Għajnsielem and Xagħra. It lies along the spine of a hilltop around 152 metres above sea level. It has a population of more than 4,000 people, making it the second most populous town after Victoria. There is a significant number of farmers in the village, the majority of whom work their fields on a part-time basis. From the orchards of Nadur come most of the local fruits, including plums, peaches, apples, oranges and lemons, with the produce maintaining commercial contacts with Malta for over 3,000 years. This commerce is still ongoing and a great amount of Maltese citrus still originates from Nadur. A good number of others earn their living from the sea as fishermen or sailors.