Look to the right of Mdina’s gate where the remains of the old Arab drawbridge gate can be seen.
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Mdina and its nobles had been been ignored for a long time but after the great 1693 earthquake, Manoel de Vilhena took the opportunity to imprint the Order’s image on Mdina, commissioning French Engineer Charles Francois de Mondion to remodel the old city and its defenses in the Order’s image. It was only after the highly destructive earthquake of 1693 that the Knights of St John moved in and left their imprint through the remodelling of Mdina.Īs you approach Mdina gate which was seen in ‘Game of Thrones’, you’ll see sculptured weapons, lions guarding the gate, and Grandmaster de Vilhena’s crest, all intended to show who was boss in Mdina in the age of autocracy. Since Mdina’s fortifications were weak and the Knights needed to be close to their galleys in harbour, they defused the situation by making Birgu their base, leaving the nobles to their splendid isolation in Mdina.
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When the Knights of St John arrived, this self-governing power was lost, which caused much resentment among the the nobles. The Maltese noble families gained importance after a Royal Charter dated 20th June 1482 from King Alfonso V confirmed the right of the Maltese to enjoy a degree of independence, setting up a local government, the Universita, in Mdina. Back then Mdina was much larger, its walls enclosing a large part of Rabat but it was reduced in size to make it more defensible by the Byzantines who were overthrown by Arab forces who changed the name of the city to Mdina.Īfter the Normans took over, bringing the Maltese Islands back into the Christian fold in 1090 AD, many noble families settled in Mdina however, the Maltese Islands passed to the German Hohenstaufen dynasty followed by the Angevins from France. The old capital was occupied by the Phoenicians/”>Phoenicians until the Romans conquered Malta in 218 BC.
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The old city dates back to the Bronze Age, its fortifications were built in the Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards and Knights, and through St Paul’s shipwreck, Mdina, known as Melite, was mentioned in the Bible! The most obvious influence of the Arab occupation is Mdina’s labyrinthine street plan and by following our tour below, you will be transported into the past.
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Want create site? Find Free WordPress Themes and plugins.Īs a walled city, Mdina’s immense ancient ramparts rising up from the surrounding countryside, give the town a fairy-tale charm.