Mdina was inhabited and possibly first fortified by the Phoenicians around
700 BC. The Phoenicians called it Maleth. The region benefits from its
strategic location on one of the island's highest points and at maximum
distance from the sea. Under the Roman Empire Malta became a Municipium and the
Roman Governor built his palace in Mdina. Tradition holds that the Apostle
St. Paul resided in the city after his historical shipwreck on the
islands.
The name and the layout of the city reflect the Fatimid Period
which began in 870 AD and lasted until
