The enigmatic ancient cities Mdina and Rabat

Just a short bus trip away from Valletta is the old capital of Malta-Mdina. Known as the Silent City, Mdina is such a wonderful place to visit and experience its bastions and palazzos.

 

Mdina has been the capital of Malta from antiquity to medieval times. When the Knights Hospitallers came to Malta they moved the capital to the new city, Valletta. Thus during years Mdina has lost its importance.

 

The fascinating old walled city in the center of Malta is so lovely with the beautiful old winding streets, artesian shops, churches and unusual mixture of magnificent architecture.The city offers a walk through history.

 

The walls of Mdina are so amazing with the series of fortifications and gates.

 

 

The impressive main gate.

 

Once we enter the city we see incredible beautiful world.

 

The most impressive building here is the Cathedral, a place of calm and serenity. The interior is splendid with many decorations and beautiful tombstones covering the floor.

 

 

This splendor cathedral is located in the main square of Mdina and is the heart of the city.

 

 

 

Gorgeous little city to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. This very special place is like going back in time.

 

 

 

Breathtaking view towards the valley, Valletta and the sea.

 

At the end of our incredible tour in Mdina we visited the neighboring old city Rabat, famous with its catacombs, St. Paul's Cathedral and Grotto. Rabat has always been a suburb to Mdina, now most of the people live in this area.

 

 

 

 

The square that links Rabat and Mdina.

 

We were very curious to see the St. Paul's and St Agatha`s catacombs. The catacombs are very easy to find, since most of the signs indicate their location. We have never visited anything similar before.

 

 

The catacombs are very scary and stretched for miles. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about Malta`s history. The place is very interesting with unique paintings and informative guided tour. 

In 60AD St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta and spent here 3 months. The Maltese folk became Christians and built a splendid church at the place where St. Paul has prayed. This is a holy sacred place for pilgrimage and Catholic worship, visited even by popes.

 

 

Today the huge limestone church dominates the square and is one of the most important sightseeing in Rabat. The most prominent part is the Grotto, where according to the tradition St. Paul lived and prayed during his stay in Malta.

 

The stunning old city of Mdina and Rabat are wonderful pieces of medieval times.The best way to experience Malta and enjoy an unforgettable Easter time.