Mdina history

photo: The walled interior of Mdina

The ancient city of Mdina, 'The Silent City' has had many names and many rulers since its ancient beginnings.

Mdina settlements date back to over 4000 BC but the location, one of the highest on Malta, was first fortified by the Phoenicians in around 700 BC.

According to tradition it was here that in 60 AD that the Apostle St. Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the islands.

The city was named Mdina by the 9th century Sicilian Arabs who came to Malta and built thick defensive walls and a wide moat which separated Mdina from neighbouring Rabat.

It was home then, as now, to Malta’s noble families - some of whom are descendants of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords who made Mdina their home from the 12th century onwards.