John Saré will be delivering the next Din l-Art Ħelwa cultural lecture, on Thursday, 15 December, focussing on the Ottoman perspective as portrayed in the book published by the Salesians, The Great Siege of Malta 1565.

Mr Saré is a well-known author, expert guide and lecturer and founder of the Aspetti Kulturali Group. He has specialised in Library Science and Research at the London Institute of Education and is also the only Maltese librarian to be awarded the Waller Prize in 1972 for the best school library set-up. He has set up many libraries in various schools in Malta.

The military prowess of the Order of St John, with the support of the Maltese, during the siege of 1565 is well known. In his presentation, John Saré will focus principally on the military preparations by the Ottoman armada and the tactics adopted by the Turks during the Siege as conveyed by the unique paintings of Matteo Perez d’Aleccio at the Grand Masters’ Palace in Valletta. The paintings remain a powerful visual annal of the siege of Malta by the Turks in 1565 and display vividly the personalities of the two main protagonists, Jean de la Vallette and Dragut, all of whom are faithfully reproduced by the book.

The lecture, which takes place at 133 Melita Street, Valletta, begins at 6 p.m. and admission is free of charge. Donations to Din l-Art Ħelwa’s restoration projects will be appreciated.