http://davidsbeenhere.com/ In this episode of Unplugged, DBH takes us through the sites and history of Mdina. The old capital of Malta, this fortified city has been of high historical importance since the Phoenician times. Learn all about Mdina and Malta's history as David takes you through the main gate, the Arab-style streets, Saint Paul's Square and Cathedral, as well as the Bastions, where you get a stunning view overlooking the towns and villages nearby.
About Me: My name is David Hoffmann and for the last decade I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food and history! Since starting Davidsbeenhere in 2008, I have traveled to 71 countries and over 1,000 destinations, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube Channel, blog and social medias.
I focus a great deal on food and historic sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, whether it’s casual Street food or gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning the local history and culture.
This video is brought to you in part by Visit Malta.
So, we are still in Rabat, besides the catacombs and also Saint Paul's Grotto.
Here in Rabat, we have another important archaeological site. I am referring to the
Roman Thomos, which in my opinion is one of the best archaeological sites that we have in Malta,
dating back to the Roman period.
Hello everybody! So, we're here in the old capital of Malta called Medina.
It's been ruled by many different civilizations. Now, Audrey, tell me more about that.
So, Medina, as you said, was once the capital city of Malta. It's a very beautiful fortified city.
It was first founded by the Phoenicians, but it continued to be used also within the years
by the Carthaginians, by the Romans, by the Arabs. In fact, originally, Medina was a lot
bigger in size, but when we were under the Arab rule, the Arabs decided to restrict the walls of
Medina. That's why we will be seeing inside Medina some very typical streets, some very typical
narrow streets, dating back to the Arab period. Over here, we have Medina's main gate. This is
not the original gate. The original gate, unfortunately, was completely destroyed in 1693
when we had the earthquake and, unfortunately, parts of Medina crawled down. So, everything was
restored by the Knights of Saint John, who were the conquerors at that time of Malta. In fact,
over there, you can see the old traces of the original gate, which has been replaced by another
gate by the Knights of Saint John. In the central part of the main gate, you can see the coat of
arms of Grand Master Manuel de Villena, who was actually one of the most important Grand Masters
who ruled here in Malta. The Grand Master was the High Sovereign of the Order of Saint John.
He was elected for life. Therefore, when a Grand Master died, another Grand Master would have been
elected after him. Definitely, one of the most important Grand Masters who ruled in Malta was
actually him. So, we are at Saint Paul's Square. Over here, we have the beautiful cathedral
dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, but more known as Saint Paul's Cathedral due to the fact
that Saint Paul is our beloved patron saint. This beautiful cathedral is the only cathedral
that we have in Malta. It was built in the 1700s, in the 18th century, but you have to know that
originally we had a previous cathedral, a medieval cathedral, which unfortunately was completely
destroyed in 1693 because of the earthquake. Baroque basically was introduced here in Malta
thanks to the Knights of Saint John. I'm not only referring to Baroque architecture or Baroque
art or Baroque music, but even Baroque lifestyle. Therefore, even nobility was introduced here in
Malta thanks to the Knights of Saint John, more known as the Knights of Malta.
So, we are now at the Bastions. We are still in Medina and from here you can see a very
beautiful view of the nearby villages and towns. You can see, for example, Mosta
with its big dome, which is believed to be the fourth largest in Europe, that is Mosta.
Further on, you can see also Valletta. In between, you can also see Salima Saint Julian's, which is
the area where you have also Paceville, very, very renowned by the youngsters, by the young
generation. They go there, there are lots of pubs, discotheques. So, let's say that the nightlife of
Malta concentrates a little bit over there at Salima. Here, at my back, you can see the town
of Intarfa. In Intarfa, we have many buildings dating back to the British period. The British
were the last people who conquered Malta. In 1964, Malta gained independence. Then, it was in 1979
that the British left completely Malta. Something else to point out is that in 1940, Benito Mussolini
declared war against Britain and France. At the time, Malta was under the British rule,
so Malta had to take part in the war. That was definitely another important historical chapter
for us, the Maltese. In 1942, a very important award was given to the Maltese by the British.
I am referring to the George Cross, the cross that you see on the white side of our national flag.
That was given to us for gallantry in 1942, since Malta was a very important British naval base
and because, basically, the British depended a lot on Malta and its strategical position,
which is right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
