After a strong storm swept through the Maltese Islands Wednesday, the Azure Window arch was — much to the dismay of many — lost to the sea.
The limestone rock formation has long been considered an iconic landmark, but was made even more famous when it was featured in the 2011 series premiere of Game of Thrones during the wedding of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa).
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Gozo Tourism Association wrote: “The flagship of the Gozitan touristic sites has sunk in its same birthplace from where for thousands of years, it stood high and proud heralding one of the natural beauties our little island is endowed with.”
Following the arch’s collapse into the Mediterranean Sea due to natural corrosion, fans of Tieqa tad-Dwejra — as it was known in Malta — took to Twitter to mourn its “heartbreaking” loss.
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