Mdina ( pronounced Imdeenah) was the capital of Malta.
The Romans called their town Melita, the Arabs - Medina, and in the early days of the Knights it was known as Citta Notabile. When the Knights completed the building of the new city of Valletta, the old capital was rechristened Citta Vecchia (Old City) to distinguish it from the new. The Maltese preferred Mdina and that is the name that stuck.
According to history, because of the commanding position on a high ridge that runs on the southwest of the island, (500 ft) above sea level, there have been settlements here since the Bronze Age.
For many years it has been known as the Silent City because its narrow streets are unsuitable for traffic and has been purely residential. However, nowadays, Mdina is not so silent since residents with permits may drive in with cars, and restaurants, bars, cafes and tourist attractions have been opened in the historical buildings.
(Since my last visit 10 years ago I certainly noticed it was not so SILENT any more.)
Mdina is one of the world's finest examples of a medieval walled city that is still inhabited. The city's fortifications were completed after the Great Seige, and as the Order built Valletta, so they repaired Mdina and gave it the bastion walls that ring it today.
There are a three entrances to the city. The Main Gate leads from the gardens of Rabat outside the walls, the Greek Gate opens below into the moat's wide ditch and takes its name from the colony that lived in that area, and the "Hole in the Wall" is exactly that. It was cut into Mdina's walls when Malta's steam railway was in operation and the citizens demanded easier access to the station below on the road leading to Malta. |
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