[1] Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim in 1797.

The old urban cores, called Bisqallin and Ħal Bisbut, largely retain their narrow medieval streets and ancient boundaries.

The historic motto of the city of Żejtun is Palladis clara munera,[20] indicating the town's position on a hill gifted it with clear and commanding views over the south eastern part of Malta.

The motto according to the Żejtun Local Council is Frott iż-Żebbuġ Ismi, meaning that the city derives its name from the fruit of the olive tree.

The complex was an active settlement since the Bronze Age, although the presently visible remains can be dated from the Punic period right up to Late Antiquity.

The Christian religion and Byzantine civilisation, however, clung on at Tas-Silġ, with the construction of a three-aisled basilica built atop pagan temples.

Modern scholars debate whether the invasion marked an outright "ethnic break and not merely a cultural and religious switch on the Maltese islands.

With the Norman occupation of 1091 and re-establishment of Latin rule in 1127, a slow re-Christianisation process began with monks from the monastery of Saint Basil arriving to Malta from Sicily and Pantelleria.

[36][37][38] The island's communal organisation in this period pitted the Mdina town-council, or Universitas, against the independent entity centred around the Castrum Maris.

Many inhabitants of Birgu, and the neighbouring villages argued that they were not liable to pay taxes to the Mdina town-council, as they fell within Castrum Maris jurisdiction.

[8] The procession included the respective clergy from all the islands' towns and villages, the canons of the Cathedral and the bishop, who assembled together – initially starting from Mdina, but later beginning at Raħal Ġdid,[44] or Tarxien,[8] thence walking to Żejtun.

[49] In 1637, Grandmaster Giovanni Paolo Lascaris set out to levy a tax of 50,000 scudi on the Maltese for the construction of the Floriana Lines.

The parish priest of Żejtun was alarmed at these preparations, particularly the suggestions to bear arms in the protest, and informed Bishop Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa.

The church became a focal point for the south east of the island, providing new and ample wall space for the artists of the late Maltese Baroque.

The latter was the most talented artist of this period, whose presence in Żejtun was secured at an early age because his father, Pietro Paolo, was working on the stone carvings within the same church.

[49] A 1791 report by the Maltese Chamber of Commerce lists Żejtun, along with Valletta and four other cities, as one of the principal trading and commercial centres on the island.

[56] The petition was received, and on 30 December 1797, Grandmaster Hompesch recognised Żejtun as a city, granting it the title Ċittà Beland, this being his mother's maiden name.

[57] By the end of December 1799, the bulk of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot was stationed in the city, with advanced posts at Żabbar, and San Rocco Battery close to the coast.

[58] In case of a French incursion from behind the Cottonera Lines, the Maltese troops in Żabbar were to pull back rapidly and concentrate their forces on Żejtun.

The town was ideally placed for defence, standing on a hill two hundred feet high, and surveying the surrounding countryside all the way to the Three Cities.

[60] The cross, held as a war trophy, was displayed in the main square of the city, as a reminder for future generations of the bravery of its people.

[61][62] Captain Alexander Ball, stayed at Żejtun on 15 January 1799, in order to meet with the leader of a group of irregulars, Vincenzo Borg "Brared".

[63] In recognition of the villagers’ participation in the revolt against the French, a garden was built in 1802 by Alexander Ball, then British High Commissioner, as a gift to the leading representative of Żejtun, Ġuzè Abela.

[65] The first British governor of the islands, Sir Thomas Maitland, instituted a number of reforms to the administrative and judicial systems of Malta.

[70] As Malta's economy shifted to the servicing of the Royal Navy, much of the islands' commercial activity moved to the fortified cities around the harbour.

[79] The suitability of the quadrangle between Żejtun, Marsascala, Marsaxlokk and St Thomas' Bay was highlighted because it contained sufficient area of gently sloping land that could be irrigated by gravity.

An FAO study in the early 1970s confirmed two areas in the South-East Malta, centred around Żejtun, which were deemed suitable for second-class water irrigation.

[82] The incidents sparked some of the most serious episodes of political violence in Malta and eventually, a crucial constitutional amendment guaranteeing majority rule.

[89] A local NGO, Wirt iż-Żejtun, successfully pressured government to withdraw plans to extend Bulebel industrial estate over nearby farmland,[90] in order to protect the heritage of the south of Malta.

An important event taking place in the town during the year is the feast of St Catherine of Alexandria, which is now celebrated in summer and not in the traditional date of 25 November.