Saltpans at Xwejni bay near Marsalforn, Gozo - Stockfoto

Salt pans and the Il Qolla l-Bajda battery on the Northern coast of the island of Gozo in Malta. Salt evaporation ponds, also called salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water. The seawater is fed into ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested. The ‘Il-Qolla l-Bajda battery’ is a fort built by the British in 1716 to discourage invasion through the accessible bay here. The battery, originally equipped with six guns, came into use again during World War II as an observation post.