The ancient city of Mdina and its neighbor Rabat have a history of more than 2000 years (some would even say 3000). It’s a fascinating history, full of conquests and wars alongside construction, art, and the development of Maltese culture. In many ways, the history of Mdina and Rabat is the history of Malta as a whole. So if you’ve decided to visit, I highly recommend getting at least a little familiar with the history, because once you’re exploring the streets there, you’ll be able to spot it everywhere.
Since we live in a world where we all have the attention span of a goldfish, I tried to keep things short and give you only the most important facts. So before we get into the details, here’s a video that pretty much sums up the history of Mdina in a few minutes:
Ancient Times: Saint Paul Is Shipwrecked in Malta
The city you see today is the seventh in a chain of cities that have stood here. Mdina most likely began as a Neolithic village, and there was almost certainly a Phoenician settlement here too. But it was the Romans who built the first “real” city, which they called Melita, meaning honey. It was during this period that the defining event in Malta’s history took place, one that shaped its character for generations to come.
Paul of Tarsus, better known to us as Saint Paul (c. 5-c. 67 AD), was being sent to Rome to stand trial for trying to spread Christianity. On the way, his ship ran into a storm and ran aground. Paul and the ship’s crew managed to swim to the shores of Malta, where they were met by the Maltese, who brought them to Publius, who governed Malta on behalf of Rome at the time. Two miracles took place in Malta.
The first miracle happened when Paul was bitten by a snake but suffered no harm from it (and according to local belief, there have been no snakes in Malta ever since). The second miracle came when Paul managed to heal Publius’s father of a fever. As a result, all the inhabitants of Malta converted to Christianity, and Publius himself became the island’s first bishop.
That’s why, even after hundreds and thousands of years of history, the Bishop of Malta still resides in Mdina and not in any other city, and why there are quite a few churches and streets, and even a holiday, named after Publius (who has since also earned the title of “saint”).
The Middle Ages: Endless Conquests
When the Roman Empire collapsed during the 5th century AD, Malta passed into the hands of the Byzantine Empire. But in the year 870, Malta was conquered by the Arabs, who had arrived from Sicily, which they had conquered more than 30 years earlier. The Arabs decided to split the city of Melita in two. They enclosed about 30% of the city with a wall and dug a moat around it for better protection. This part they called Mdina, meaning fortified city, while they named its suburb Rabat.
During the 11th century the Arabs lost their hold on Sicily, and in 1090 the Norman duke of Sicily, Roger I (1031-1101), invaded Malta and forced its Arab rulers to become his vassals. But that wasn’t enough, and in 1127 his son Roger II (1095-1154) expelled the Arabs from Malta for good. All that remained of them was their enormous influence on the Maltese language (about 70% of which comes from Arabic).
Over the centuries that followed, Malta changed hands from dynasty to dynasty, since whoever ruled Sicily also ruled Malta (you could say Malta was a kind of suburb of Sicily). The Norman dynasty came to an end in 1194, followed by the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1194-1266), which ruled both Sicily and the Holy Roman Empire. The dynasty that followed was the House of Anjou, but it was expelled from both Sicily and Malta as early as 1282, following the events known as the “Sicilian Vespers.”
Malta’s next rulers were the House of Aragon, who held power until 1479, when Ferdinand of Aragon (1452-1516) married Isabella of Castile (1451-1504), and Malta came under the rule of Castile, which later became the Kingdom of Spain. In 1492, following the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the Jews of Mdina were expelled as well. They had lived there for hundreds of years and made up about a quarter of the city’s population.
1530-1798: The Hospitallers Arrive in Malta (and Abandon Mdina)
Until 1530, Mdina was the undisputed capital of Malta, but that year everything changed drastically. After being expelled from the Holy Land, Cyprus, and Rhodes, the Hospitaller Order of Knights got another chance when Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) decided to grant them Malta in exchange for protecting Christian ships in the Mediterranean. The rent, if you’re wondering, was a single falcon a year that the Knights of Malta had to deliver to the emperor.
Since Mdina sits in the center of Malta, far from the sea, it wasn’t really suited to the Knights of the Order of Saint John (who by then had become the Knights of Malta). Mdina was replaced by the city of Birgu, which sits on Malta’s main harbor, and later the capital moved to Valletta.
Despite all this, Mdina kept its importance, since Malta’s bishop resided there and most of the island’s nobility continued to live in it. In 1693, a severe earthquake struck Mdina, destroying large parts of it. As a result, the head of the Knights of Malta, Ramon Perellos y Roccaful (1637-1720), decided to invest a considerable sum in restoring Mdina and rebuilt its cathedral to be grander than ever.
1798 to Today: French, British, and Maltese
In 1798, Napoleon arrived in Malta and managed to conquer it without firing a single shot. From there he moved on to Egypt and the Holy Land, but he left a garrison behind in Malta. On his orders, the French began looting Malta’s churches, which stirred up great resentment among the local population, who were devout Catholics. As a result, the Maltese revolted and called on the British for help. After about two years under siege, the French were forced to surrender and leave the island.
Between 1800 and 1964, Malta was under British rule. During this period, the few remaining centers of government still left in Mdina moved to Valletta, and Mdina turned into a quiet, beautiful town. Luckily for Mdina, it wasn’t heavily bombed by the Germans during World War II, so most of it survived intact for future generations.
In 1964, Malta gained independence from Britain, and Mdina is one of its most important cities. Despite what many people think, it’s a living, breathing city, even though time seems to have stood still there for a few centuries. You can learn more about this city through the walking tour of Mdina I created especially for you.
Looking for More Things to Do in Malta?
As you’ve probably already discovered (and if not, you will soon), there’s so much to do in Malta that it’s hard to choose among all the attractions and activities. But don’t worry, I’ve done the work for you and gathered the best attractions and activities out there. You can find them in the article What to Do in Malta?
Looking for a Hotel in Malta?
I’ve put together a few recommended hotels to help you avoid any unpleasant surprises. But before I give you my recommendations, there’s one important question to answer first: where in Malta should you stay? You can find the answer to that question, along with my hotel recommendations for Malta, in the article Where to Look for a Hotel in Malta.
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