Mdina Malta

Narrow streets, churches a cathedral, alleys and convents characterize the city’s altogether mystical ambience. Mdina is known as the “Silent City” and even tough it is still fully inhabited silence still reigns all day long especially since car traffic is very restricted.

Medina

Brief History on Mdina :

Mdina was first fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BC most probably it was chosen because of it’s high altitude. The Roman Empire in 60 AD strengthened it and the Roman governer build his palace in Mdina. The apostle St Paul lived in this same palace. Saracens came in Malta in 870AD and continued to fortify the city making it the beauty that it is today for any tourist to admire.

Mdina is the old capital city of the island of Malta

It is a typical medieval town, very quiet and excellent for tourists to visit especially in the afternoon and during weekdays when there are less people around! It is situated in the centre of the island and is around 220 metres above sea level so it enjoys breathtaking and spectacular views of all the Maltese Islands.

Thousands of tourists gather at Mdina every month to visit the many places of interest in this beautiful medieval city.

A list of places of interest that any tourist should visit whilst at Mdina.:

•St. Paul Cathedral 
•Vilhena Palace 
•Palazzo Falzon (Norman House) 
•St. Agatha's Chapel 
•St. Nicholas' Chapel 
•Natural History Museum 
•Mdina Dungeons 
•Carmelite Church & Convent 
•Mdina Experience 
•Benedictine Monastery

The town itself is a joy to stroll around in, many of the alleys really give the sense that nothing has changed here for more than a millenium since the Arabs were here. The main attractions are the cathedral whose design inspired many of the other churches in Malta, the cathedral museum, and the views.

• Cathedral The cathedral was built after the earthquake of 1693 destroyed the original Norman structure built in the 12th century. Like the Cathedral of St. John in Valletta its floor is covered with intricately inlaid marble gravestones belonging to Maltese aristocracy. Also noteworthy is the impressive wallpainting at the back of the cathedral depicting the shipwrecking of st Paul on Malta.
• Cathedral museum. The quaint cathedral museum houses a variety of different small collections. Perhaps the the most important is a beautiful set of woodcut prints The Life of the Virgin by Albrecht Dürer. Furthermore it has a collection of the cathedral's attributes and a tiny display on the 19th century priests who took the first initiative to develop Maltese in a written form. Amazingly, as it was never in the colonial power's interest and the Maltese had to do without writing in their own language since the Arabs left in the 11th century. The entire archive of the inquisition in Malta, which was only banned by Napoleon the day he invaded, is kept here, but is unfortunately not on public display. If you come with serious credentials you may be able to persuade Father Michael to show them to you.
• The view from the city walls makes it plain why this site was chosen in ancient times, one has a commanding view over most of the island from here.