Melite or Melita (Latin) was an ancient city located on the site of present-day Mdina and Rabat, Malta. It started out as a Bronze Age settlement, which developed into a city called Ann under the Phoenicians and became the administrative centre of the island. The city fell to the Roman Republic in 218 BC, and it remained part of the Roman and later the Byzantine Empire until 870 AD, when it was captured and destroyed by the Aghlabids. The city was then rebuilt and renamed Medina, giving rise to the present name Mdina. It remained Malta's capital city until 1530.
Ruins of the Domus Romana, one of the few visible remains of Melite
Melite was located on the site of modern Mdina (bottom) and Rabat (top)
Coins found on site
Remains of a Roman building, used for the building of the church, now at the Wignacourt Museum
Mdina, also known by its Italian epithets Città Vecchia and Città Notabile, is a fortified city in the Northern Region of Malta which served as the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of 250, but it is contiguous with the town of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic word for suburb, and has a population of over 11,000.
Image: Malta Mdina (Triq San Oswald) 02 ies
Image: Malta Mdina Pjazza San Pawl + St. Paul's Cathedral ex 01 ies
Image: Malta Mdina Gate
Image: Mdina palazzo santa sofia