An ancient, silent city surrounded by fortified walls stands on top of a hill in the Western part of Malta. This city was Malta’s thriving capital city in the mid-9th century and the hub for all commercial and administrative activity. The city was raised on the earlier remains of a Phoencian and Roman city called Melita. The Arabs, who dominated the country till the mid 13th century, reduced the city’s size to the site occupied today, built new walls and re-named their stronghold Medina, providing shelter to the island’s inhabitants from barbaric attacks along the shoreline.

The city has a unique character that is felt as one strolls down the narrow winding streets, taking in the grandeur of the old buildings’ architecture, the various enclosed squares in the city that hosted the daily markets in the ancient times, and the beautiful views that one can see from the city’s ramparts.

The inhabited part outside the walls of Mdina was called Rabat by the Arabs. Rabat is now one of the largest towns in Malta with a population of around 13,000 inhabitants. Mdina on the contrary is only home to 450 residents. Both places boast several sites of historical importance.

The Cathedral of St. Paul is one of Mdina’s main tourist attractions. Located in St. Paul’s Square in the central part of the city, the cathedral is adorned with fine frescos by Mattia Preti and Vincenzo Manino.

Next to the main gateway of Mdina one finds the Magisterial Palace, also known as the Vilhena Palace. This was built by the Spanish Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena in the French baroque style on the site formerly occupied by the Banca Giuratale. One can still see the Law courts at the back of the palace together with the underground prison cells, known as the Mdina Dungeons. The dungeons have been restored and are now accessible to the public. In 1973 the palace was turned into the Malta National Museum of Natural History.
It was Vilhena, elected as Grandmaster in 1722, who transformed the medieval city of Mdina to the gem of baroque architecture we see today.

Remnants of earlier times still remain to be explored and walking along the streets of Mdina you’ll discover ancient buildings built in the 15th century. One of these fine buildings is Palazzo Falson, also known as the Norman House. At that time the house belonged to the prominent Falson family. It has now been converted to a private museum displaying fine period furniture, ceramics, oil paintings and family portraits.

Rabat too has some sites worth visiting for an insight into Roman life. One of the main attractions is the Domus Romana. This was a rich town house and still features exceptional mosaic pavements, busts and statues.  Originally, before the Arabs raised the walls of their Medina, this house was within the walls of the old Roman city.

Rabat also has various underground catacombs used as burial places during the Roman era. Dating back from the 2nd and 3rd century A.D. the most important ones are those of St. Paul’s, St. Agatha’s and St. Cataldus. Next to the St. Paul’s Catacombs one can find the St. Paul’s Grotto. Tradition has it that St. Paul was kept in captivity in this cave when he was shipwrecked on Malta in AD60.

Rabat and Mdina are a must-see for all visitors to Malta. If you are not planning your holiday to Malta in the hot summer months, you can combine the visit to Rabat and Mdina with some relaxed strolls in the countryside surrounding these two locations. You may visit Dingli Cliffs, Buskett Gardens, Fiddien, Imtahleb, Bahrija and Chadwick Lakes to enjoy Malta’s typical Mediterranean landscape.