MDINA

The history of Mdina and its suburb Rabat is as old and as chequered as the history of Malta itself.  Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital, can trace its origins back more than 4000 years.  Rabat can claim the origins of Maltese Christianity.  Both Mdina and Rabat are fascinating to tour for their timeless atmosphere and their cultural and religious treasures. Today Mdina has a quiet, restrained atmosphere in keeping with its noble past.  Lamplit by night, Mdina transforms itself into the ‘Silent City’.  For a relaxed evening, seek out the restaurants tucked away in its bastions and palace courtyards.

Mdina was inhabited and possibly first fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BC. The Phoenicians called it Maleth. The region benefits from its strategic location on one of the island's highest points and at maximum distance from the sea. Under the Roman Empire Malta became a Municipium and the Roman Governor built his palace in Mdina. Tradition holds that the Apostle St. Paul resided in the city after his historical shipwreck on the islands. Much of its present architecture reflects the Fatimid Period which began in 999 AD until the Norman conquest of Malta in 1091 AD. The Normans surrounded the city with thick defensive fortifications and widened the moat..