The former Maltese capital of Mdina (pop. 930), picturesquely situated on a hill in the southwest of the island is a place which the modern age seems to have passed by. There was a town here in ancient times, under the name of Melite. The Carthaginians and the Romans were followed by the Arabs, who gave the town its present name.
The
construction of fortifications divided the town into two, and the part outside the walls developed into what is now the modern town of Rabat. The new masters who came to Malta from Sicily in 1427 renamed Mdina Notabile, a style which it bore only for a brief period. Under the Knights of St John Mdina rapidly lost its former importance, and its function as capital passed to Birgu (now Vittoriosa) and later to Valletta. The main features of interest in Mdina are the Baroque Cathedral designed by Lorenzo Gafà, with its treasures of art, the Baroque Seminary which now houses the Cathedral Museum, the Archbishop's Palace (1733), the Palazzo Santa Sophia and the Palazzo Falzon.
Mdina, or the "Walled-In City", was the old capital of Malta. Two hundred years after the Arab occupation ended in 1224 it was renamed Citta Notabile and in 1571, when Valletta became the capital, Citta Vecchi, "the Old City."
Today, within its panoramic bastions and cool narrow alleys, there is evidence of civic self-respect. It is clean, only residents' cars are allowed inside, and even the street signs are scripted on china plaques. There is charm and enchantment in its twisting streets and this is the only true Maltese city, with very little influence by the knights.
The magnificent buildings include the Palazzo Vilhena and the Baroque Cathedral of St Paul's.
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