Iklin
House of Character

The locality of L-Iklin with a population of around 3,200, is situated on a hill upon which in-Naxxar is built. On the south it borders with Birkirkara and Ħal Lija while on the east it borders San Ġwann. The first house in this locality, Dar il-Lewża, was built in 1954 by Dr. Zammit and is found in Triq in In-Naxxar. For fifteen years this house was the only building in Iklin. During the sixties and seventies a number of luxurious villas were built on the hill which leads to In-Naxxar (on the side of Triq il-Wied in the area known as Upper Iklin). Towards the end of the seventies as well as during the eighties buildings started to crop up everywhere. On the lower side of the valley, which was a green area a bypass was built which begins near the university and ends at L-Iklin. This bypass has served to separate L-Iklin however tumoli of fertile land were lost in the process. The population is relatively young with about a third below the age of eighteen years. Those above the age of sixty have increased due to an increase in life expectancy. The name of this locality comes from the aromatic herb rosmarinus, L-Iklin in Maltese. It is thought that this grew in the valley however this cannot be found today as everywhere has been taken up by buildings. In L-Iklin two archaeological sites have been found, one from the Bronze Age and the other with Punic and Roman remains. The village is known for the chapel of San Mikiel Arkanilu (St. Michael) built in 1615. Mass is celebrated once a year, on the day the feast is celebrated on the 29th of September. Near the chapel there is also the fireworks factory of Ħal Lija. The coat of arms depicts a shield on a blue background with Saint Michael in the centre and, the six roses of Iklin on the borders.