| Mdina Il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Imdina Città Notabile The Silent City |
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| — Local council — | |||
| Mdina | |||
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| Motto: Città Notabile | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Malta | ||
| Island | Malta | ||
| District | |||
| Borders | Rabat | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Peter Dei Conti Sant Manduca (PN) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 0.9 km2 (0.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (Dec 2008) | |||
| • Total | 236 | ||
| • Density | 262.2/km2 (679.2/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Midjan (m), Midjana (f), Midjani (p) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | MDN | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| Patron saint | St. Peter and St. Paul; Our Lady of Mount Carmel | ||
| Day of festa | June 29; 4th Sunday of July | ||
Mdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, (English: Notabile, or Imdina)[1] is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly called the "Silent City" by natives and visitors.[2] The town is still confined within its walls, and has a population of less than three hundred, but it is contiguous with the village of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic word for suburb, and has a population of over 11,000.
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Mdina was inhabited and possibly first fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BC. The Phoenicians called it Maleth.[3] The region benefits from its strategic location on one of the island's highest points and at maximum distance from the sea. Under the Roman Empire Malta became a Municipium and the Roman Governor built his palace in Mdina. Tradition holds that the Apostle St. Paul resided in the city after his historical shipwreck on the islands. The name and the layout of the city reflect the Fatimid Period which began in 870 AD and lasted until the Norman conquest of Malta in 1091 AD. The earliest surviving buildings date from the Norman period. The Normans surrounded the city with thick defensive fortifications and widened the moat. The city was also separated from its nearest town, Rabat.
Malta passed to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in 1530 AD. Mdina hosted the public ceremony in which each Grand Master swore an oath to protect the Maltese Islands and the rights of his subjects. A strong earthquake in 1693 led to the introduction of Baroque design within the cityscape. The Knights of Malta rebuilt the cathedral, to the designs of Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa. Palazzo Falzon, the Magisterial Palace and major restoration works are other projects undertaken by the Knights. The monumental gateway was designed by the French architect and military engineer Charles François de Mondion in 1724. Also, the entrance found today is not the original one, as the original south gate is about 100 meters to the left.
Most of Mdina's palaces serve as private homes. The impressive Cathedral of the Conversion of St Paul is fronted by a large square. Only a limited number of resident and emergency vehicles, wedding cars and hearses are allowed within Mdina.
Founded in 2006, the Mdina Knights are currently enjoying a positive moment in the third division league organised by Malta's football governing body, the Malta Football Association.
In White Wolf's World of Darkness, Mdina is the European capital of clan Lasombra.
In the Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series, Mdina is the site of an "ambush" where MI6 intends to retrieve Alex's father John Rider.
In the HBO series Game of Thrones, Mdina was the filming location for the series' fictional capital city of King's Landing.
Mdina (together with Birgu and Gozo) plays a significant role in The Disorderly Knights, the third book of the acclaimed Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett, which is set around the events of the Dragut Raid of 1551 when the Ottomans briefly besieged the city.
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