Mdina - The Silent City

No one is a silent witness. Everything, everyone makes some kind of noise. Even an old city, which in our collective memory and textbook history is recorded as a high-ceilinged vault of air you could never puncture, however loud you shouted.

Mdina is not a silent city. If I see another tourist guidebook marketing it as such, I'll start foaming at the mouth and attack tourist guides at random with my attache case. Admittedly, the old capital is quieter than our local towns and villages. But silent? I mean, how could a city that has stood for over 4,000 years and tucked innumerable voices in its bastions and courtyards not utter a single word? It's like saying your granddad doesn't tell stories.

Malta's mediaeval capital can trace its origins back to the late Punic period. Remnants of the Roman occupation of Mdina exist in the Domus outside the present walls of city, which during the times of the Roman extended right to the church of 5t Paul in Rabat. The city was then known as Melita, as the accounts in Cicero and the Act of the Apostles witness. The Arabic attack of 870 AD reduced the city to rubble and subsequently was given the name of Medina and reduced in size.
Despite Malta being part of the Norman Kingdom, Arabic culture persisted until 1250, when Moslems were forced to either convert or be exiled. From then on, Mdina became the centre of Malta's administration. However, when the Knights arrived, they made Valletta the island's capital. Consequently, Mdina lost its importance and the population dwindled. Abandoned houses fell into decay until the earthquake of 1693 reduced the city to a deplorable state. It was then that Grand Master de Vilhena undertook the task of rebuilding the city. He restored the damaged palaces and built some of the stately houses which still adorn the ancient city and make it an incredible mix of mediaeval and baroque arch itecture.

Rather than just a residence for their occupants, these buildings were and still are an artistic composition. The palazzi themselves are magnificent. Vilhena Palace, which you see on your right as you enter from Mdina's Notabile Gate, has a baroque fa~ade that breaks the silence of the surrounding Howard Gardens. Before being damaged by the great earthquake in 1693, this was the Palazzo Giuratale. After reconstruction, it became the summer seat of Grandmaster de Vilhena, but under British rule, it served as a military hospital. Nowadays, the palace houses a small but
informative Natural History Museum. This museum has some important collections, mainly Mamo's choncological collection, Mizzi's mineral collection, and the various collections of Giuseppe Despott. Once a prison and dungeons, the subterranean space beneath Vilhena Palace has been converted into the screaming Mdina Dungeons, a permanent exhibition based on life- size statues depicting atrocious deeds in times of deadly epidemics.

Two other multivision shows worth visiting are the Mdina Experience and the Knights of Malta. The Mdina Experience in Mesquita Square shows the city through the ages, from its Phoenician past to its glory days under the Aragonese rule. Housed in Mdina's gunpowder vaults, Knights of Malta offers an audio-visual show of the Order's origins, from the Crusades until they were expelled from Malta in 1798.

Palazzo Faison, popularly known as Norman House, is the second oldest standing palazzo in Mdina. When l'lsle Adam, first Grand Master of Malta, came to Mdina in 1530 to be presented with the keys of the city, he was received by the Faison family and resided for several days in their house. Currently under restoration, the Palazzo is planned to open to the public in 2005. The restoration covers both the building itself and the 45 important collections accumulated over the years by Captain Olof F. Gollcher. Maurice de Giorgio, executive chairman Gf Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, confirms that these collections include around 200 paintings, 200 antique furniture pieces and a collection of 82 oriental carpets. There are also, among others, over 800 pieces of antique silver as well as an armoury and glass. The restoration is being made possible thanks to the numerous supporters of Patrimonju, which include the Malta International Airport.

Casa Testaferrata was the seat of the old noble family Testaferrata. Historians believe that on the site of this building during the time of the Romans, there was a temple dedicated to Apollo. Opposite is the 17th century Casa Viani, next to which is the house from the balcony of which the French Commander was thrown, an incident which marked the beginning of the Maltese uprising against the French Occupation.

Another fine specimen worth seeing is the Xara Palace, built during the late 17th century as a residence for the noble family of Moscati Parisio. It was used by the British during the war until in 1949 it was converted into a hotel and run for many years before falling into decline. Reopened in 1999, it whispers class from the lobby right up to the five star de Mondion restaurant on the top floor.

It's not only the palazzi that recite Mdina's history and culture. The churches and chapels give their sermon as well. There's St Agatha's Chapel, built in 1570 over an ancient crypt which still adorn the ancient city and make it an incredible mix of mediaeval and baroque arch itecture. Rather than just a residence for their occupants, these buildings were and still are an artistic composition. The palazzi themselves are magnificent. Vilhena Palace, which you see on your right as you enter from Mdina's Notabile Gate, has a baroque fa~ade that breaks the silence of the surrounding Howard Gardens. Before being damaged by the great earthquake in 1693, this was the Palazzo Giuratale. After reconstruction, it became the summer seat of Grandmaster de Vilhena, but under British rule, it served as a military hospital. Nowadays, the palace houses a small but informative Natural History Museum. This museum has some important collections, mainly Mamo's choncological collection, Mizzi's mineral collection, and the various collections of Giuseppe Despott.

Once a prison and dungeons, the subterranean space beneath Vilhena Palace has been converted into the screaming Mdina

Grip