The door knocker, Mdina, Malta. This predecessor to doorbell has different shapes and styles and bounded tightly with history of the island. Some symbolic examples can be mentioned here. The dolphin knocker came from Phoenicia, whom Malta belonged once. The knocker in the form of hand, a symbol, which could be associated with the Hand of Fatima, originated in Muslim countries, and can be related to Arabs, who controlled the island few centuries. The Maltese Cross door knocker ― was borrowed from the Knights of St John, the long-time rulers of Malta. Meanwhile, the lion head knocker, depicted in the picture, probably could be interpreted as the legacy of the British Empire, a part of which Malta was before gaining independence