Winter came.
The Azure Window, one of the most iconic landmarks in Malta and famous for featuring in the very first episode of Game of Thrones, has sadly collapsed into the sea.
Located on the island of Gozo in Malta, the limestone arch and accompanying stack collapsed into the sea following a heavy storm on Wednesday morning.
“There was a big raging sea beneath the window,” local man Roger Chessell, who was at the scene having gone to take pictures of the storm, told the Times of Malta.
“Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray. By the time the spray had faded, the stack had gone too.”
The Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat and the national tourism authority expressed their sadness at its loss on Twitter on Wednesday, with the Prime Minister already committing to launching an international consulation initiative on its future.
I have just been informed that the beautiful Tieqa tad-Dwejra in #Gozo has collapsed. Updates soon.
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017
The site from where one could admire it-Tieqa tad-Dwejra. Heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/S4XV6MyKRu
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017
#Malta government will launch a national and international consultation initiative on the future of #AzureWindow site at Dwejra #Gozo -JM
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 9, 2017
It is a very sad day for Malta. The iconic Azure Window collapsed this morning, succumbing to the forces of nature and the passage of time. pic.twitter.com/ovc8Yj9gWH
— VisitMalta (@VisitMalta) March 8, 2017
As well as being one of Malta’s most iconic tourist sites, it also featured in the very first episode of Game of Thrones, as a scenic backdrop during the wedding of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo.
While the erosion of the Azure Window was inevitable, a geological study conducted as recently as 2013 suggested that it was not in imminent danger of collapsing and was likely to survive for decades.
Walking across the window, meanwhile, was made punishable with a fine introduced by the Maltese government in recent years, but it is believed that enforcement of the punishment was lax to say the least.
It will be sorely missed.
