On our fifth day we were visiting the medieval and Roman capital of Malta, Mdina and Rabat. In Roman times these were two parts of the same city but in early medieval times the old Roman city walls were replaced by a shorter circuit creating the separation into Mdina and Rabat. Mdina is one of Malta’s most visited site and when you visit there you can see why.
Mdina became home to Malta’s medieval nobility and its quiet winding alleys and narrow streets have a delightful mix of medieval and baroque architecture. Mdina continued to be the capital of Malta until the arrival of the Order of St John in 1530 when Birgu, on the opposite side of the Grand Harbour to modern day Valletta, took over.
Mdina is quiet as only the cars of the residents or businesses, emergency vehicles and wedding cars are allowed to enter. We were told that only 88 residents still permanently live in Mdina and they are an ageing population where the properties have been passed down through the family.
As you leave Mdina you are immediately into Rabat which is the modern looking area of the Mdina/Rabat area with a population of between 11,000 and 12,000. Just outside the entrance to Mdina is the Domus Romana, Malta’s best Roman archaeology.
Domus Romana is now outside the walls of Mdina but would have been close to the centre of the earlier Roman capital. The site was accidentally discovered in 1881 and the Roman Town House sheds light on the private life and habits of a Roman aristocrat. The antiquities, including the remaining marble pieces, found at the site are in the museum which is part of the site. The town house still has some mosaics in situ which are further evidence of the high status of the occupant.
A last visit of the day was to St Paul’s Catacombs which served as a burial ground in the Punic, Roman and Byzantine times and represent the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.
The catacombs form a typical complex of interconnected underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 7th and possibly 8th centuries AD. The area has more than 30 hypogea, of which the main complex comprises a system of interconnected passages and tombs that cover an area of more than 2000 square metres.
The main halls of the catacombs are equipped with circular tables set in a low platform, which were probably used to host commemorative meals during the annual festival of the dead.
There was a small museum at the site which displayed some of the burial goods.
The catacombs were very interesting to see and set us up for our visit the next day to the World Heritage site, The Hypogeum.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024