But it was the Romans (21 BC - 870 AD) who made full use of the Mdina
plateau and built a town, wicch was some three times as large as present day
Mdina.
Paul of Tarsus was shipwrecked in Malta in AD
60 and converted the islanders to Christianity. The Arabs arrived in AD 870
and for reasons of defence reduced the capital city to its present size (some
250 metres square). In 1090 Count Roger of Normandy, a kinsman of William the
Conqueror, landed in Malta and the Arabs sued for peace. The Spaniards
followed the Normans and this period saw the arrival of the great religious
orders.
In 1530 Charles V of Aragon gave Malta and
Gozo to the Order of St John of Jerusalem and the chivalrous order of
warrior-monks stayed until 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte expelled them. The
Maltese did not take kindly to some measures introduced by the French and they
asked Horatio Nelson to help them expel them. The British remained until 1964
when the Maltese Islands became independent.
Mdina's bastion walls are partly Roman and
Saracen, and parts date back to the time of the Order of St John.
Main attractions include a magnificent
Cathedral and Museum, the Vilhena Palace, and the Norman House.
For more information contact: John Manduca,
Chairman, Mdina Cultural Association. E-Mail: manducaj@global.net.mt.
Birgu
I Mdina I
Valletta
I
Victoria
Gozo
