Interesting places in Rabat:

Mdina main gate		Hotel The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux
Hotel Point de Vue Guest House		Villa Messina Residential Home
St Dominic Church		St Augustine Church
Saqqajja		Ta Giesu Church

Rabat (Arabic a+l+r+b+a+tj, transliterated ar-Rabat-. or ar-Ribat-.), population 1.2 million (2005 estimate), is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region.

Hassan Towers, Kings Palace, oudaia, Chellah, Medina Bazzar.

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The Mdina Gate
Made by bazylek100
The Main Gate to the City of Mdina in Malta was erected in 1724 by António Manoel de Vilhena (1663-1736), the 66th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, according to the design by the French architect Charles François de Mondion. It is reached through a narrow stone bridge over a moat. The Gate is a splendid, if top heavy, example of restrained Baroque by one of the Order's most prolific builders. The escutcheon bears his arms - the growling lions in the front are part of them and the inscription records the restoration of parts of the city walls. On the inside facade are three statues of St. Publius, St. Paul and St. Agatha, the island's and city's patron saints, all of whom carry palm fronds to symbolize their martyrdom. The remaining escutcheon is that of the island's oldest nobles, the Inguanez, while the blank one was defaced by the French in 1798. Mdina, the old and silent capital of Malta is a typical mediaeval town situated in the centre of the Maltese Islands. The Silent City as it is often called, commands a panoramic view of the Island. Mdina was inhabited and possibly first fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BC. The region benefits from its strategic location on one of the island's highest points and at maximum distance from the sea. Malta passed to the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in 1530 AD. The Grandmaster was acknowledged as master of the island, but had to swear to respect the internal autonomy of Mdina. Only after this formal acknowledgement did the Grandmaster receive the keys of the city. This ceremony took place at the main gate of Mdina each time a new Grandmaster was elected. Furthermore, there was a tacit agreement that the Knights Hospitaller should concentrate their living quaters in Birgu and Valletta, whereas the Maltes nobility should concentrate on Mdina.


Malta - Mdina - Magisterial Palace - Sepia
Made by Darrell Godliman
Once you enter Mdinas city gate almost immediately you find the Magisterial Palace. Once a Palace for the Knights of Malta, it is now the National Museum of Natural History. Mdina was inhabited and possibly first fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BCE. 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. Much of its present architecture reflects the Fatimid Period which began in 999 AD until the Norman conquest of Malta in 1091 AD. The Normans surrounded the city with thick defensive fortifications and widened the moat. The city was also separated from its nearest town, Rabat. Malta passed to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in 1530 AD. Mdina hosted the public ceremony in which each Grand Master swore an oath to protect the Maltese Islands and the rights of his subjects. A strong earthquake in 1693 AD led to the introduction of Baroque design within the cityscape. The Knights of Malta rebuilt the cathedral, to the designs of Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa. Palazzo Falzon, the Magisterial Palace and major restoration works are other projects undertaken by the Knights. Source : Wikipedia


Malta - Mdina - Buses 03 - panoramic
Made by Darrell Godliman
Contrary to what most guidebooks would have you believe, not all buses on Malta are fifty years old. Increasingly the oldest ones are being replaced with 2nd hand Stagecoach buses from England. I hope for them they don't also import the same Fare pricing policy. From Wikipedia : Very early types of bus can still be found, with a front engine mounted in an extended bonneted nose, in the style of some conventional trucks. The majority of classic Malta buses have elaborate grilles and headlight arrangements, curved windscreens and sloping roofs. Later makes of bus are usually of conventional bus and coach designs that are or were in use elsewhere in the world, such as the Duple Dominant. Between 1981 and 1987 the fleet was drastically modernised with the import of over 260 second hand buses from the UK. Many of the oldest buses in the fleet were further replaced with the influx of 150 new low-floor buses from China and Turkey, financed with government grant aid, leaving just three normal control vehicles. Second hand imports from the UK had continued up to 2008, with some of the last examples being Alexander Dash bodied Volvo B6s deemed surplus after Stagecoach's takeover of Yorkshire Traction. Even with these fleet modernisations, as of 2009, the nearly 500 strong bus fleet still contained some examples dating from the 1950s.


Malta - Mdina - Buses 01
Made by Darrell Godliman
You wait ages for a Maltese bus, and then along come three at once ! From Wikipedia : A Malta bus (xarabank, karozza tal-linja) is both the bus used for public transport on the Mediterranean island of Malta, and also a major tourist attraction on the island, due to their unique appearance grounded in the bus ownership and operation model employed on Malta. In particular, Malta has several bus types that are no longer in service anywhere else in the world. The unique nature of the Malta bus stems from the tradition of local ownership of the buses by the drivers, and their historic practice of customising them. In addition to a high degree of customisation, detailing and decoration, several Malta buses also have a unique appearance due to the practice of in-house maintenance, rebuilding or modifying of bus bodies in local workshops. As an iconic feature of the island, the classic Malta bus features on several tourist related items. As the main mode of public transport on the island, the Malta bus is also used by many tourists to visit the different parts of the island. While newer Malta buses follow standard bus designs found elsewhere, customisation and detailing has continued for these buses too.


St. Paul's Catacombs
Made by bazylek100
Rabat in Malta is home to the famous Catacombs of St. Paul and of St. Agatha. They are a fascinating labyrinth of 3rd century AD subterranean tombs, and the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta. St. Paul’s Catacombs were used as a cemetery until the 4th century AD and were located, in accordance with Roman law, on the outside of the city walls of the old Roman capital Mdina. Until Constantine I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and ended persecution, the Christians also used the Catacombs as a meeting place and secret celebration of mass. The Catacombs incorporates tombs for more than 1,000 bodies in 2,200 square meters. Not all of the site is accessible, but enough is open to the public to provide a fascinating look at several different types of tombs. An imposing hall acts as the centre of St Paul’s Catacombs. Passages lead off from it in several directions into a bewildering series of tomb galleries. The few surviving murals, despite their fragmentary state, are of considerable interest since they constitute the only surviving evidence on the Islands of painting from the Late Roman and early medieval periods.


Malta - Mdina - Buses 05
Made by Darrell Godliman
From WIkipedia : Early buses wore an olive green livery with a black stripe. In the 1930s, buses were painted different colours according to the route they operated. Malta buses are now liveried in a yellow (lower) and white (upper) livery, relieved by a red band just below the window line. All Malta buses are single-deckers either with bus or coach bodies. Early buses do not have many common transit bus features, with route numbers achieved using white cards. Later buses have modern features, such as electronic destination displays, although paradoxically full use is almost never made of the more modern facilities and buses almost always show the route number, but no indication of the destination.


Malta - Mdina - Mdina Gate
Made by Darrell Godliman
Mdina Gate, the main entrance into the walled city of Mdina. The Mdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, (English: Notabile, or Imdina) is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly called the Silent City by natives and visitors alike. The town is still confined within its walls, and has a population of less than three hundred, but it is contiguous with the village of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic word for suburb, and has a population of over 11,000. Source : Wikipedia.


Mdina City Gates
Made by Marc-John Photographic
Night 7 – Malta Sightseeing - Night Tour of Malta The night tour was the third and final Malta Sightseeing tour I took during my stay in Malta. The bus headed out from Sliema into Valletta and around the south east of Malta before heading inland to Naxxar, Mosta and a stop off in Mdina before heading up to the north and back to Sliema along the coast road via St. Juliens. As we were travelling at some speed on an open top bus, still photography was problematic so I took very few shots, save for the stop off in the silent city of Mdina when I was on foot. I did take quite a bit of video footage, particularly in Valletta, but this seems to have been mislaid.


City Gate Mdina
Made by Marc-John Photographic
Day 2 - Bus ride to Mdina and Rabat As this was my 5th trip to Malta there are very few places that I haven't been to in the Maltese Islands, so I decided to take a leisurely walk into St. Julien's and take a bus to the island's old capital City of Mdina (pronounced Im-deena). Mdina and it's suburb Rabat are roughly in the centre of the island surrounded by countryside. Mdina is called the Silent City because car access is restricted due to it's narrow streets, and is recognised as a fine example of a medieval walled city with it's baroque architecture.


Malta, Thombs
Made by Twilight Tea
The gate to the underworld of St. Paul's Catacombs, underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 4th century AD. The place was larger than I would expect. Yet, only a small part of the actual catacombs is accessible. My curious flashlight was very handy in spotting dark corners, while I hoped not to disturb anything there... location: www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Malta&ie=UTF8...


Natural History Museum, Mdina
Made by Marc-John Photographic
Day 2 - Bus ride to Mdina and Rabat As this was my 5th trip to Malta there are very few places that I haven't been to in the Maltese Islands, so I decided to take a leisurely walk into St. Julien's and take a bus to the island's old capital City of Mdina (pronounced Imdeena). Mdina and it's suburb Rabat are roughly in the centre of the island surrounded by countryside. Mdina is called the Silent City because car access is restricted due to it's narrow streets, and is recognised as a fine example of a medieval walled city with it's baroque architecture.


Mdina Main Gate 87/365
Made by GunnerGav
Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of Malta. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly called the Silent City by natives and visitors.The town is still confined within its walls, and has a population of less than three hundred.


Malta Bus EBY615 ex-NTO34P
Made by leylandbus
Bedford YRQ / Plaxton Elite EBY 615 was new as NTO 34P to Skill, Nottingham and last operated in the UK with Happy Wanderer Tours / Leiston Motor Hire of Leiston, Suffolk. It is seen parked in the small bus station close to the walled city of Mdina awaiting it's departure time for Valletta Bus Station, on 8th October 2010.


Malta, Juni 1999, St. Pauls Church, Rabat
Made by RaSch
Im Rahmen der Festas, die in der Zeit um und nach Ostern überall stattfanden, waren die Kirchen z.T. auch von aussen festlich geschmückt und mit rotem Samt behangen. Damals fotografiert mit einer Lomo LC-A 35 Digitalisiert mit Diaprojektor und Lumix FZ50. Digitised with slide projector and Lumix FZ50.


Saint Paul's Grotto
Made by me jules
Below Saint Paul's Church in Rabat, Malta, there is a grotto where Saint Paul is said to have lived for a while after his shipwreck. You find this floor next to the place where Christianity started on Malta. Unlike a lot of other Maltese church floors, this one's very simple.


ºo
Made by n@t!
... Rabat, Malta ________________________________________ ♪ red, red wine ♪♫ _____ cLicK! __


Casinò Notabile
Made by sandrosamigos
Next to the Rabat Bus Terminus at Is-Saqqajja is the Casinò Notabile. This Victorian building was designed by Webster Paulson and was built in 1887 as a place for social gatherings. Detailshot from last year available .


Impressions / Impressionen Mdina (Malta)
Made by Loeffle
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mdina en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mdina A hidden beauty / absoluter Geheimtipp


MALTA MDINA
Made by LUIS FELICIANO /
MDINA (MALTA) Mdina ciudad amurallada situada en una colina en el centro de Malta. Anteriormente se le llamó Citta Vecchia y fue la capital del país hasta que fue sustituida por La Valeta en 1570.


Malta - Mdina - Buses 04
Made by Darrell Godliman
This is the last of the colourful Maltese buses for now but there's more to come later from Vallettas Bus Station. Now there's a scary place to take photos unless you've got eyes in the back of your head.