Iklin is a village in the Central Region of Malta, with a population of 3,130 as of March 2014. Iklin was established in the mid-20th century; however some archaeological sites and a medieval chapel, named as St. Michael Chapel, are proof to earlier settlements. Until recently, the town was considered to form part of the Three villages of Malta, as part of Lija. With the separation of Iklin from Lija, Iklin is no longer part of the three villages. It is bordered by Għargħur, San Ġwann, Birkirkara, Balzan, Lija and Naxxar. Iklin is divided in Lower Iklin siding on the Birkirkara bypass and the Upper Iklin. In Lower Iklin houses are built side by side, in general villas and maisonettes but also recently some apartments. In Upper Iklin land is on a hill close to Naxxar and land is considered more expensive; in general the land consists of villas and farmhouses. The two sides share two common facts, the neighborhoods structural design and the general silence living areas.
Etymology
The name of Iklin is derived from the herbRosmarinus Officinalis, which is known as l-iklin in Maltese. The valley in which the herb grew has now been built up.
History
Modern day Iklin began to develop in the mid-20th century, but the area still has a few minor sites of archaeological importance. A megalithic site, perhaps the remains of a temple, was discovered in 1967 by the Teenagers Din l-Art Ħelwa group from St. Aloysius' College. Unfortunately, this site has never been seriously surveyed or studied. A second megalithic site was studied in 1986 during works on the new Birkirkara By-Pass, in the area known as Tar-Raddiena. Two large megaliths, and a few smaller ones are still visible on this busy road. The ruins were dated, through pottery sherds found during excavation, to the Bronze Age. The foundations of a Roman Villa were excavated in 1975 during construction works. The site has had its own historic importance, but it was destroyed soon after the excavations when the development for housing estates proceeded. In the 15th century, a chapel dedicated to St. Michael was built in what is now Iklin. Pietro Dusina visited the chapel during his Apostolic Visit of 1575, and he described it as being in a poor state. The chapel was rebuilt in 1615 by Gilormu Agius. Today it is open once a year for the feast of St. Michael, which is celebrated the Sunday before 29 September by the Lija fireworks team. The first purposely-built residential house in modern Iklin was Dar il-Lewża, which was built in 1954, suffered severe structural impact as outlined in 2012, and demolished in 2018. A number of villas were constructed in the 1960s and early 1970s, and development increased rapidly between the late 1970s and the 1980s. Iklin has had a local council since 1994, and the town became a separate parish in 2005. A new parish church named for the Holy Family was built for this purpose.
Government
The Iklin Local Council was established by the Local Councils Act of 1993, along with the other local councils of Malta. The first election was held on 19 March 1994. Other elections were held in 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2015, and the next elections are set to be held in 2019. The following people have served as Mayor of Iklin:
Iklin has a population of 3130 people as of March 2014. The population is relatively young, with about one third being younger than 18 years. Older population is gradually increasing, generally due to longer life expectancy.
Zones
The locality of Iklin includes the following zones:
