Mdina & Rabat - Malta’s Medieval Heart

Malta is a decidedly coastal nation. From the splendor of Valletta to the beautiful Blue Grotto, Malta’s beautiful coastline is the main draw for foreign visitors. I had to admit that it did feel wrong to travel inland. However, almost every travel guide mentions that if you pick one place to visit inland, it would be Mdina. Being in the center of the island, Mdina is easily accessible from just about everywhere by public transportation. Mdina was the capital of medieval Malta and the center of the island’s religious life. For some, the city’s real claim of fame is its status as the filming location of the popular HBO series Game of Thrones (GOH). Famously, Mdina stood in as King's Landing, the capital of the fictional Seven Kingdoms. Of course, Mdina never capitalizes on its GOH connection as much as Dubrovnik, but I would argue it is just as atmospheric and photogenic.

Beautiful city aside, I had another personal agenda. The inner fat kid within wanted to try out pastizzi, the most emblematic Maltese snack ever. Pastizzi is a savory filo pastry typically filled with either ricotta or mushed peas. Even though pastizzi stands could be found in every town, Maltese seem to agree that Crystal Palace (also known as Is-Serkin) in Rabat serves the best in all of Malta. I purposely held up from trying pastizzi until I got to sample the nation’s best. This century-old cafe is a 24-hour operation, and it has none of the pretentiousness you would expect. As of the Pastizzi itself? I enjoyed them, especially the ones with ricotta filling. It is difficult to look past how sinfully caloric they are.

Mdina - The Spiritual Capital of Malta

It was just a five-minute stroll from Crystal Palace to the main gate of Mdina. The history of Mdina dates back more than 3,000 years. Ancient civilization, the Phoenicians, first settled here in the 8th century B.C.E. When Romans settled here, the settlement was named Melite. According to archaeologists, the extent of the Roman town was far larger than modern-day Mdina. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the defense of Melite was upgraded with retrenchment. Like most fortresses in Malta, Melite saw plenty of actions throughout the centuries. During the rules of Arab dynasties, the city changed its name to Mdina, the Arabic term for a walled city. Today’s Mdina still retains much of its original Arabic layouts.

Following an eight-year restoration, the fortification reveals all its glory. The ditch outside the ramparts is now a beautifully landscaped park for the public’s enjoyment. Access to the city is tightly controlled, and it seems like there is no proper way other than through its magnificent main gate, prominently featured in Game of Thrones. Designed by French architect Charles François de Mondion under the auspices of Grandmaster António Manoel de Vilhena, the gate is ornate but still intimidating-looking. Nowadays, the only people who invade Mdina are the horde of tourists and a fleet of horse-drawn wagons.

Coat of arm of Grandmaster António Manoel de Vilhena.

At the center of the town is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul. According to Christian traditions, Apostle Paul shipwrecked on the Maltese islands and converted Malta to Christianity. Maltese are always proud to proclaim that they are the first Christian nation (even though Armenia is technically the first Christian country). Because of the connections with Saint Paul, Malta has the distinction of being an apostolic see. Today, With 93% of its population practicing Catholicism, Malta is by far the second most Catholic nation in the world, just behind Vatican City.

With Mdina being the medieval capital of Malta, this is naturally the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Malta. When the Knights Hospitalier relocated the capital to the newly created Valletta, the order constructed their own mother church: the Conventual Church of Saint John. After the French occupation, the Valletta church became more important. The archbishop began to use it more often and eventually made it a co-cathedral: St John's Co-Cathedral. Even so, the cathedral in Mdina remains the official seat of the archbishop. Given the many churches here in Malta, it is quite exhilarating to visit “technically” the most important church in this devout nation.

Our visit coincided with a wedding at the cathedral. As a result, we could only take a quick pique at the cathedral’s sumptuous interior. It was quite disappointing because we purposefully wore our dress pants in anticipation of the church’s dress code. And believe me, wearing long pants in Maltese summer was not fun. That said, the wedding was quite a big production, with Irish bagpipe bands and vintage cars. With a wedding at a place like this, I sure wondered who the big shots were getting married here. Were they national politicians or just local parishioners?

Speaking of the local parishioners, this square kilometer city is home to only about two hundred and fifty residents. In medieval times, Mdina was the favored place of residence for Malta’s aristocratic class and nicknamed Città Notabile, the “city of the nobles.” Since the Knight Hospitalier moved their capital to Birgu, Mdina quickly became a political backwater. The city became somewhat of a weekend upper-class getaway. Remarkably, many family palaces survived the centuries, and few even remained in the same hands. For those who still resided within the fortification walls, calling this place home must be a strange experience.

Today, Mdina is commonly nicknamed the “Silent City”. Most guidebooks attribute the nickname to Mdina’s dwindling population and the ban on vehicular traffic (except for residents). But given the amount of visiting tourists and the horse-drawn carriage, it is certainly not as silent as it could be. I found an article that provided a more historical explanation. According to this article, the term originated immediately after the Second World War. During the war, Mdina took in a large number of refugee families from the coastal area. After the Allied victory, the exodus of refugees back home earned Mdina the name of “Silent City.”

For us, the most striking thing about Mdina was its immaculate orderliness. The main drag is lined with stately palaces and many churches and chapels of various sizes. But what impressed us? The most were all the medieval street pavers. Each piece fitted together so perfectly, like a work of art. Even compared to Valletta or any other Italian hill town, Mdina’s street stood out. The city managed a healthy balance between tourism and a welcoming residential environment. That is evident by Mdina’s preservation of the scarcity of hotel accommodation. The government also restricted large events taking place inside the fortification, except for weddings, of course.

Wonderful view across the island of Malta.

Mdina has quite a few historical palaces and houses open to visitors. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit any of them due to our tight schedule. But honestly, the true joy of Mdina is to wander among its many backstreets. And because it is a fortified city, you can’t get lost or too far. Even with all the tourists, it never felt crowded. It was truly fun to see Instagram-obsessed tourists posing on every street. My personal favorite was walking along the top of the ramparts. It offers a panoramic view of the whole island; we can see Valletta to the east and Mellieha to the north. It suddenly made sense why the Romans picked this spot to set up their settlement. They would have been able to spot the approaching enemy ships half a sea away from here.

Speaking of ramparts, the second gate is the Greek Gate, named after the Greek community that once resided nearby. The inward-facing walls around this gate are the only section of the medieval war that the Knight Hospitaller has not modified. On the outside, the gate has a similar Baroque design to the Main Gate. Interestingly, this was the only entrance into Mdina from which slaves could enter. As much as people nowadays would love to romanticize the knights period, let’s not forget that slavery in Malta reached its peak under their rule. Malta was known as a hub of the slave trade in Christian Europe. It was not until the Napoleonic invasion of 1798 that slavery was legally abolished.

The second floor gallery at Mdina Glass.

For anyone looking for some decent souvenirs, Mdina proves to be a good place to window shop. Artisanal silver and glass workshops seem to be the city’s specialty. Brian is particularly fond of Mdina Glass, which specializes in handmade and colorful glassware. It was one of the very few souvenirs we bought on this trip. Although I wouldn’t say they are at the same level as Finland’s Iittala, their design is unambiguously Maltese.

Domvs Romana

Nowadays, not much of the original Roman city Melite survived. Inside the walls of Mdina, remnants of Roman time are scattered throughout for those who care to examine. During the most recent restoration effort, architectural elements like pieces of the Roman columns were purposefully revealed for educational purposes. In 1881, a team of landscaping workers stumbled upon an old ruin. It turned out to be a large Roman villa that was part of the city of Melite. Known as Domvs Romana, Latin for Roman House, the ruin is the best-preserved Roman ruin in Malta. Archaeologists believe the house was constructed in the 1st century B.C. and was in use for about three hundred years.

Built with a classic peristyle plan, the house was enormous even by contemporary standards. Even though most of the houses were destroyed over time, a large track of floor mosaic survived intact. These mosaics are reminiscent of those I saw in Pompeii and Tivoli. They may not be as refined as the best, but they are still stunning. In particular, the three-dimensional effect of the perspective is impressive. In addition to the mosaic and some architectural fragments, there are many interesting artifacts you could expect in a Roman mansion: coins, jewelry, tableware, and jars. And it seems like the most prevalent ones are those related to the drinking culture of ancient Rome.

For me, the most intriguing object in the museum would be a couple of life-size statues of Roman emperors, such as Emperor Claudius. I wonder whether the house owners commissioned them or there were just gift shops selling the statues of the emperors? Interestingly, the site of the Domvs Romana was later turned into a Muslim burial ground during the Arab rule. Researchers uncovered over 240 burials here and many funerary offerings. It demonstrates the complex strata of Maltese history.

The impressive mosaic around the peristyle courtyard.

Like most museums in Malta, the exhibition design of Domvs Romana was lackluster compared to its content. The facility has no air conditioning system, and the inadequate lighting made some exhibits difficult to navigate. Honestly, if it were not for our Heritage Malta multi-site passes, we probably would not have paid a visit in the first place. That said, I am not a good judge of the museum as we merely spent less than fifteen minutes for the whole museum. If the inside temperature was ten degrees cooler, I am certain we would have spent a whole hour there.

Saint Paul’s Catacombs

As the population of Melite grew, a “suburb” of Mdina sprang up to form the present-day town of Rabat. The name derives from the Arabic word for “suburb.” Although Rabat has many beautiful churches and fine public squares, its most iconic sight is Saint Paul’s Catacombs. Because Roman laws prohibited funerary burial inside the city limit, a cemetery was set up just outside the city. It is Malta’s largest network of catacombs and a fine example of early Christian burials. Archaeologists still believe that this is the earliest archaeological Christian burial site in Malta, which made it one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. But contrary to common public perception, there was no documented proof of this being a site of early Christian worship.

Now, driving around Rabat was no easy task. Since this was one of the oldest towns on the island, a tangle of oneway streets was exceedingly narrow and often had no sidewalk. I felt a little stressed about the driving situation for the first time on this trip. I could not even imagine owning one of the houses in Rabat. Luckily, we found an open parking spot only five minutes from the catacomb. I felt lucky we had the smallest compact car they had at the rental agency.

Immediately upon entering the museum building, a series of exhibits and artifacts outlined early Roman funerary practices, including different types of burial based on one’s social status and material wealth. Just like today, some would have been buried with elaborate procession, while some would have been cremated in the middle of the night. As we were halfway through the exhibit, it suddenly dawned on us that we were standing right above some excavated burial chambers. We could have a bird-eye view of tombs through the tempered glass floor. They even left a few skeletons in place for us to see; you have to wonder whether the dead could ever foresee being on display like this two millennia after his or her deaths.

Compared to other archaeological sites we visited on this trip, Heritage Malta did an excellent job contextualizing this place. Set in a park-like setting, the entrance into each catacomb is adorned with a classical-style pavilion. With more than thirty separate catacombs within the complex, seeing them all was no easy task. Thankfully, Heritage Malta labeled about half a dozen “must-sees,” so we don’t miss out on the highlights. Two of the most popular catacombs are also among the largest. With an average ceiling height of 5-6 feet, walking through the hypogea is unpleasant for tall people with claustrophobia. At the entrance of each catacomb is a posted map of catacomb layouts and the locations of the panic button!

The signage also indicates a lot of helpful information, such as the presence of pagan or Jewish burial, the maximum number of visitors allowed, and the number of steps. Many of them contain fragile wall paintings and carvings. This was our first time visiting a catacomb, and we were not disappointed. But with the heat and high humidity, these hypogea were not exactly a walk in the park. As Brian often said: “Once you see one, you have seen it all.” And for once, I had to agree with him on that.

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Mdina & Rabat - Malta’s Medieval Heart

Mdina - The Spiritual Capital of Malta

Domvs Romana

Saint Paul’s Catacombs

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