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This is the world’s rarest passport
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta – also known as the Knights of Malta – isn’t just a religious Catholic order with nearly 1,000 years of history. Nor is it just a multi-million-dollar-budget humanitarian aid organization, with operations including refugee camps and disaster relief programs in some 120 countries around the world.
It’s also a sovereign nation, with United Nations observer status and its own constitution, but, unusually, without any land. It issues car license plates – without having any roads to drive them on – and its own stamps, currency and passports.
The Knights originated as a chivalric order in Jerusalem around 1099 and were gifted the Maltese archipelago in 1530 by the King of Spain. Napoleon Bonaparte forced the Knights out of Malta in the French invasion of 1798, and these days the Order is headquartered in Rome. Daniel de Petri Testaferrata, the Malta-based President of the Order, tells CNN that only about 100 of the 13,500 knights, dames and chaplains now dispersed around the globe live in the Maltese archipelago.
The first passports were issued by the Order of Malta in the 1300s when its diplomats traveled to other states with documents attesting to their role as ambassadors. After World War II, the use of the diplomatic passport took on characteristics of passports used in other countries. Today, there are only around 500 of the diplomatic passports in circulation – making it the rarest passport in the world.
A very exclusive document
The Order’s crimson passport (perhaps a nod to the blood of Christ) is reserved for members of the Sovereign Council and leaders of diplomatic missions and their families. It’s adorned with gold lettering stating the organization’s name in French, “Ordre Souverain Militaire de Malte,” and a crest.
The Order grants passports to members of their government for the duration of their mandate,” de Petri Testaferrata says. Grand Masters’ passports are valid for the longest period as they’re elected for 10 years, can serve two terms, and must retire by 85. Other passports are valid for four years and are only used for diplomatic missions. The passports have 44 pages watermarked with the Maltese cross without much other fanfare – no images or quotes.
Eugenio Ajroldi di Robbiate, the Order’s former communications director, tells CNN that it can be funny to see the reaction of customs officers when they see the passport. “They’ve likely never seen one before. Once when I arrived at the Bangkok airport, a crowd of operators at passport control wanted to see my rare passport and take a selfie with it,” says Ajroldi di Robbiate.
According to De Petri Testaferrata, two-thirds of Schengen members recognize the diplomatic passport and the Order works closely with many countries with no formal diplomatic relations such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“We provide rapid medical and humanitarian supplies to victims of conflict or natural disasters. We run hospitals, ambulance corps, medical centers, homes for the elderly and the disabled, soup kitchens and first aid posts,” de Petri Testaferrata explains.
On the trail of Knights in Malta
While you’re unlikely to run into any Knights on a visit to Malta, there are many places across the Maltese Islands to learn about the fight and fate of the storied Order.
One of the first things you’ll notice as you arrive on the main island is the massive honey-hued Fort St. Angelo jutting out of the azure waters of the Grand Harbor. The imposing medieval bastion was once the Order’s Headquarters and is the only remaining structure on the island that still partly belongs to the Knights.
De Petri Testaferrata tells CNN the chapel dedicated to St. Anne in the upper part of the Fort is still cared for by the Order. You can tour this part of the fort to see where the Grand Master de Valette prayed daily for deliverance from the Ottoman invaders during the Great Siege of 1565.
Inside the ancient bastion walls of Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site, you can learn more about the Order at “The Knights of Malta” 3D audiovisual show. It’s located in the Casa Magazzini where the Knights once stored ammunition and tells the Knights’ history in Malta, including when they were gifted the archipelago in 1530 by the King of Spain.
In the capital city of Valletta, you can continue your Knight trail at the National Library of Malta where the Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, the parchment Pope Paschal II used in 1113 to grant the Order sovereignty, is housed.
“The library’s collection consists of original documents and manuscripts of the Order,” Dane Munro, a tour guide and historian specializing in the history of the Order, says.
After the library, you can head across the street to the Grand Master’s Palace which once hosted the Knights. The Throne Room was used by the Knights as the Hall of the Supreme Council and remains adorned with ancient frescoes depicting the Great Siege. Don’t miss the portraits of Grand Masters in the Hall of Ambassadors.
Caravaggio’s time as a Knight
Like all good chivalrous gentlemen, the Knights loved fine art, leading to a controversy. Renowned Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio arrived in Malta in 1607 after killing a man in a duel and fleeing Rome. The Order made him a Knight and he became the court painter. Shortly after Caravaggio showcased he was more of a brawler than a gentleman and the Knights expelled him from the Order.
While visiting St John’s Co-Cathedral, just a few blocks from the Grand Master’s Palace, keep an eye out for “The Beheading of St John” which is Caravaggio’s largest and only known signed work.
A few blocks away is the Casa Rocca Piccola of the de Piro family who were closely involved with the Order, according to Munro. You can take a tour of the grand home where Marquis Nicholas de Piro, the Chancellor of the Maltese Association of the Order, lives. His home is a time capsule of 16th-century Baroque elegance.
You can also stay in a palazzo that belonged to the Knights. Rosselli AX Privilege is a boutique hotel housed in the 17th-century home of Knight of Malta Don Pietro Rosselli and is centrally located in Valletta, making it the perfect home base as you tour around Malta to learn about the Knights.
If you get lucky and spot one of the few Knights on the archipelago, you might be able to identify them from their traditional robes, which are only worn during religious ceremonies. The black tunic with white cuffs features the eight-pointed Maltese cross. An additional decoration around the neck depicts the Knight’s rank in the Order of Malta.
注释：
Sovereign: N
表示"国王，最高统治者"，means " a ruler such as a king or queen"，如：The sovereign completely recovered from his illness. 元首完全自病中复原了。
Order: N
表示"教团"
chivalric: adj
表示" 骑士的"，如：That evening he wore, like a chivalric badge of battle, a small red rose in his button-hole. 这天晚上，他在钮扣眼里别上一枝小小的红玫瑰花，好象骑士在战争中佩戴的徽章。
archipelago: n
表示" 群岛"，means "a group of many islands in a large body of water"，如：Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. 印尼是世界上最大的群岛。
dame: n
表示" 夫人；女士"，means "informal terms for a (young) woman"，如：Impressive as it is, however, Dame Edna's show is no more than a star vehicle. 尽管很感人，但是埃德娜夫人的剧本不再是明星代表剧目。
chaplain: n
表示" 专职教士；牧师"，means "a clergyman ministering to some institution"，如：Newton is an army chaplain from London. 牛顿是来自伦敦的军队牧师。
crimson: n; adj
表示" 深红色"，means " a deep red colour"，如：Carrie's cheek burned with a crimson heat. 嘉莉的脸颊烧得绯红。
crest: n; v
表示" 冠；到达最高点"，means "the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave; reach a high point"，如：A surfboard fin sliced the crest of a wave. 冲浪板尾部划破浪尖。As we crested the hill, we saw the castle. 我们登上了山顶,看见了城堡。
fanfare: n
表示"〈非正式〉炫耀;鼓号曲"，means "a gaudy outward display"，如：Despite all the fanfare by Federal regulators over recent bailouts of sick savings institutions, evidence is mounting that the deals are merely papering over the severe problems plaguing the industry. 不论联邦监管人员最近如何大张旗鼓挽救一蹶不振的储蓄行业，越来越多的证据显示：政府所做仅仅在掩饰困扰该待业的严重问题。A showy or ceremonious passage, such as a fanfare.装饰乐句，花式吹奏一段炫耀或讲究仪式的音乐，例如小号曲
hue: n; v
表示"色调；色彩；"，means "colour"，如：The cool hue in the picture is distinct from the other ones. 这幅画的冷色调与其他画截然不同。
jut: v
表示"突出；伸出；凸出"，means "be in a position further forward than its surroundings"，如：His teeth tend to jut out a little. 他的牙齿长得有点儿凸出。
azure: n; adj
表示" 天蓝色"，means "a light shade of blue"，如：His eyes are azure. 他的眼睛是天蓝色的。
bastion: n
表示"堡垒"，means "a group that defends a principle"，如：These clubs are the last bastions of male privilege.这些俱乐部是男性特权的最后棱堡。
ammunition: n
表示" 军火；弹药"，means " supply of bullets, bombs, grenades, etc"，如：There was no ammunition laid up in the storehouses. 仓库里没有贮存军火。
duel: v; n
表示" 决斗；斗争"，means "any struggle between two skillful opponents (individuals or groups"，如：Mr William challenged the young man to a duel. 威廉先生向这位年轻人提出要求与他决斗
brawler: n
表示" 争吵者；打架者"，means " 争吵者；打架者"，如：I want to leave a long time after that disapleasure brawl. 发生了这样不愉快的争吵之后，我觉得有必要暂时离开一段时间。
tunic: n
表示" 束腰外衣；短上衣"，means "an enveloping or covering membrane or layer of body tissue"，如：Ancient people wore tunics.在古代人们穿着束腰外衣。
中文简要说明：
美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报导，没有领土的主权实体「马耳他骑士团」（Sovereign Military Order of Malta）自1300年代开始核发护照以来，至今仅有500本流通，是世界上最稀有的护照，连海关人员见了也啧啧称奇。
马耳他骑士团起源于1099年，原本只是耶路撒冷的一个骑士团。1530年，西班牙国王将马耳他群岛赠与骑士团，拿破仑却在1798年将骑士团逐出当地。如今，马耳他骑士团的总部设于罗马，虽是一个主权国家，却没有任何领土。
尽管如此，马耳他骑士团依旧拥有自己的汽车牌照、邮票和货币，以及护照。第一本护照于1300年代发行，起初作为外交官到其他国家出差时，用来证明身分的文件，到了第二次世界大战后，才成为一般定义下的护照。
话虽这么说，马耳他骑士团的护照只发给政务会议（Sovereign Council）成员、外交使团的领袖和其家属使用，数量十分稀少，至今全球只有500本流通。护照封面为深红色，可能是向基督的宝血致敬；封面以金色字体印上骑士团的法文名称Ordre Souverain Militaire de Malte，和一枚徽章。
马耳他骑士团前对外联络主任狄罗比亚特（Eugenio Ajroldi di Robbiate）表示，机场海关人员看到他的护照时，经常出现有趣的反应，「有一次我抵达曼谷机场，每一位护照查验人员都抢上前来，就为了亲眼目睹这本稀有的护照并与它自拍。」
目前马耳他骑士团主要作为一个人道救援组织，在全球约120个国家进行难民营和赈灾计划，并与许多没有邦交的国家密切合作，例如法国、英国和美国。其外交护照获得2/3的申根国家承认。
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