Mellieha as a village developed under British colonization after the British encouraged people to settle in the area by giving leases to the population. For two centuries previously, the area was abandoned due to fear from attacks of corsairs and Saracens.

Before that, only a few villagers lived in the area. After the British encouraged Maltese to settle in Mellieha, the village flourished. Nowadays, the village includes a large number of villas. Even foreigners choose to settle in Mellieha.

Mellieha is now a tourist resort, featuring Malta's largest sandy beach, Ghadira. Another popular attraction is the set of the 1980 film Popeye. A short drive from Ghadira, the set is a collection of various ramshackle buildings that made up the city of Sweethaven. The 'town' was originally built using several thousand planks, eight tons of nails, and 2,000 gallons of paint. To this day the set draws a considerable amount of tourism, with daily Popeye-related shows taking place for the tourists.

Wikipedia articles for Mellieha

• Mellie?a
• Xemxija
• Ghajn Hadid Tower
• Popeye Village
• Manikata
• St. Agatha's Tower
• G?ajn Tuffie?a
• St Paul's Island
• St. Paul's Bay
• St. Paul's Bay Tower
• G?ajn Tuffie?a Tower
• Armier Bay
• Ta'Hagrat Temples
• M?arr
• Skorba Temples
• Bu?ibba
• ?nejna Bay
• Bidnija
• Qawra
• ?irkewwa