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Ornate door knocker of grotesque and human figures on a dark wooden door, in black and white

Mdina

Mdina: Malta’s Silent City

July 2015

Mdina is a fortified hilltop city in central Malta and the island’s former political and administrative center. The settlement developed from ancient Melite, which extended beyond the present walls into what is now Rabat. Byzantine, Arab, and Norman rule reshaped the city before Malta’s political center moved toward the Grand Harbour following the arrival of the Order of St. John in 1530.

Mdina’s narrow lanes and defensive form preserve a medieval urban structure, while later rebuilding introduced prominent Baroque architecture. At the center of the city, the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Paul serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Malta. Designed by Maltese architect Lorenzo Cafà, the present cathedral was constructed after an earthquake severely damaged its predecessor in 1693 and was completed in 1702.

According to Maltese Christian tradition, the cathedral occupies the site of the residence of Publius, the leading official who received Paul following the apostle’s shipwreck described in Acts 28. The identification of this location and the account of Publius’s conversion are matters of religious tradition rather than independently verified history.

Known as the “Silent City,” Mdina retains its compact historic form within the fortifications. It has been included on Malta’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 1998 but is not currently inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Carved stone lion clutching a heraldic shield on a rusticated limestone gateway wall
Narrow paved lane curving between tall honey-coloured limestone walls, a small iron balcony above
Hanging wooden sign reading "The Medina" and a vertical "Restaurant" board in a shaded alley
Empty sunlit lane with a green arched door and latticed stone window screens
Curving stone-paved alley lined with wall lanterns and shuttered windows
Girl in a red dress walking down a lane toward an archway where a horse-drawn carriage waits
Worn stone staircase rising beside a potted palm in a quiet limestone courtyard
Weathered stone post carved with the words "No parking" beside an ironwork gate
Painted wooden plaque of a café courtyard with yellow parasols, mounted on a limestone wall
Square with red shutters, hanging banners and the "Casa Mdina" shopfront, cars parked outside
Black-and-white view of a woman in a sun hat with a backpack walking down a shaded lane
Wrought-iron street lantern with amber glass panes bracketed to a honey-coloured limestone wall
Narrow sunlit lane between limestone walls, with a tall black door numbered 3 and trailing window plants
Baroque cathedral interior in Mdina looking down rows of wooden chairs to the high altar, scaffolding above
Frescoed and gilded barrel vault of a Baroque church seen from the nave floor
Paved alley passing under a stone arch, with a lantern and a street plaque reading “Triq Santa Sofia”
Red, blue and yellow heraldic banners strung across a quiet limestone street
Row of iron lanterns on brackets receding down a narrow curving lane
Weathered clock face marked with month letters and numerals set into a carved stone facade
Ornate door knocker of grotesque and human figures on a dark wooden door, in black and white
Bronze bust of a wigged nobleman flanked by allegorical figures, coat of arms below

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