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84-798: When the British took over the Maltese islands in 1800, they used the fortifications built by the Order of St. John almost without alterations. Under the military theory of the time, the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean was regarded as the most reliable protection against invasion. However, during his time as governor, Sir William Reid ordered gun batteries to be added inside the Grand Harbour , in order to repel any ships which broke through

168-575: A colony at the site, known as Ann after their name for the island, around the 8th century BC. The Roman Republic captured Malta in 218 BC , early in the Second Punic War . They continued to use Mdina as their centre of administration but renamed it Melita after the Greek and Latin name for the island, probably taken from the main Punic port on the Grand Harbour . The Punico-Roman city

252-587: A short siege in 1091, and Malta was subsequently incorporated into the County and later the Kingdom of Sicily , being dominated by a succession of feudal lords. A castle known as the Castellu di la Chitati was built on the southeast corner of the city near the main entrance, probably on the site of an earlier Byzantine fort. In the 12th century, the town's fortifications were rebuilt and expanded. By this time,

336-583: A siege by Hafsid invaders in 1429. While the exact number of casualties or Maltese who were carried into slavery is unknown, the islands suffered depopulation in this raid. When the Order of Saint John took over in Malta in 1530, the nobles ceremoniously handed over the keys of the city to Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam , but the Order settled in Birgu and Mdina lost its status as capital city. In

420-531: A 4.5m high D-shaped bastion to bar access to their village. The wall was built facing inland, showing that the people living in the village were more afraid of attacks from the land than from the sea. In around 700 BC, the Phoenicians founded and fortified the city of Maleth on one of the highest points of the island, far away from the sea. Eventually the city was taken over by the Roman Empire and it

504-529: A few are open to the public. Many anti-aircraft batteries, gun positions and radar stations were also built throughout the course of the war. Many of the fortifications were decommissioned between the 1950s and 1970s. Some were left abandoned while others were used for a variety of purposes, such as private residences, restaurants, police stations or farms. Some barracks, such as those at Mtarfa and Pembroke , were converted to housing estates. Several forts and historic military buildings are still in use by

588-406: A few are still more or less intact, including Mistra , Vendôme , Ferretti , St. Anthony's , Qolla l-Bajda and St. Mary's Batteries. Very few redoubts survive, including Briconet , Ximenes and St. George Redoubts. Various entrenchments were also built between the 1720s and 1760s, both around the coastline and along some inland positions. The remains of a few still survive today, including

672-457: A fortress, but these were never implemented due to protests by the city's nobles. The fortifications were again upgraded in the mid-17th century, when the large De Redin Bastion was built at the centre of the land front. Mdina suffered severe damage during the 1693 Sicily earthquake ; although no casualties were reported, the 13th-century Cathedral of St. Paul was partially destroyed, and it

756-538: A major assault on the main fortifications in Birgu and Senglea . The Ottomans attempted to take Mdina in September so as to winter there, but abandoned their plans when the city fired its cannon inefficiently at a much longer range than normal, leading them to believe that it had ammunition to spare. After the siege, Maltese military engineer Girolamo Cassar drew up plans to reduce Mdina's size by half and turning it into

840-596: A number of defensive walls around important settlements, but very little remains of these survive today. By the late medieval period, the main fortifications on Malta were the capital Mdina , the Cittadella on Gozo, the Castrum Maris and a few coastal towers or lookout posts. The fortifications of Malta were greatly improved while the islands were ruled by the Order of St. John between 1530 and 1798. The Hospitallers built new bastioned fortifications, such as

924-570: A number of walled cities, citadels , forts , towers , batteries , redoubts , entrenchments and pillboxes . The fortifications were built over hundreds of years, from around 1450 BC to the mid-20th century, and they are a result of the Maltese islands ' strategic position and natural harbours, which have made them very desirable for various powers. The earliest known fortifications in Malta are defensive walls built around Bronze Age settlements. The Phoenicians , Romans and Byzantines built

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1008-465: A second line of fortifications, the Cottonera Lines , began to be built encircling both Birgu and Senglea, as well as the unfinished Santa Margherita Lines. They were begun in 1670, but works stopped in 1680 again due to a lack of funds. By this time, the bastioned enceinte had been built, although other crucial parts had not yet been constructed. Eventually, some effort was done to complete both

1092-628: A settlement on the hill had existed since the Bronze Age. The city's fortifications were improved over the years, and the northern walls of the city that still stand today were built around the 15th century by the Crown of Aragon . The Castrum Maris was built sometime in the Middle Ages. The castle definitely existed by the 13th century, and it was involved in the Battle of Malta of 1283. By

1176-594: A suburb developed between the Floriana Lines and Valletta's land front, and it became known as Floriana , today a town in its own right. In 1638, the Santa Margherita Lines began to be built encircling the land fronts of Birgu and Senglea. Works were suspended in 1645 due to a lack of funds, and they remained unfinished for many years. Following the fall of Candia to the Ottomans in 1669,

1260-411: Is a very early example of a polygonal fort . Many other polygonal forts were built by the British later on in the 19th century. Although Mdina was no longer the capital city, the Order still strengthened the city's defences , and gradually upgraded its medieval walls into a gunpowder fortress. In the 1540s, during the magistracy of Juan de Homedes y Coscon , two bastions were built on the corners of

1344-542: The Armed Forces of Malta , such as Luqa Barracks, Fort Madalena and Fort Mosta . Mdina Mdina ( Maltese : L-Imdina [lɪmˈdiːnɐ] ; Italian : Medina ), also known by its Italian epithets Città Vecchia ("Old City") and Città Notabile ("Notable City"), is a fortified city in the Northern Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity to

1428-759: The Corradino Lines were built on the Corradino Heights. The V-shaped trace and ditch were meant to protect the dockyard and harbour from landward attacks. They were abandoned in the early 1900s due to advancements in technology, although they saw some use once again in World War II. Starting from 1875, the Victoria Lines , originally known as the North West Front, were built along the northern part of Malta, dividing it from

1512-515: The De Redin towers . These were based on the Lascaris towers and had the same function as a communication link. 13 towers were built on mainland Malta having an identical design, and 8 of these survive intact while 2 are in ruins. The fourteenth tower, Mġarr ix-Xini Tower , was built on Gozo in 1661 with a slightly different design. The last coastal watchtower to be built was Sopu Tower , which

1596-515: The Great Siege of Malta . Fort Saint Elmo fell after fierce fighting (in which the Ottoman general Dragut Reis was killed), but the knights held out in Birgu and Senglea until a relief force arrived. By the end of the siege, most of the fortifications had been destroyed in the attacks, so they were rebuilt. The Grand Master, Jean Parisot de Valette , decided to build a new fortified capital on

1680-619: The Naxxar Entrenchment and the Louvier Entrenchment . From 1749 to the 1760s, Fort Chambray was built on the island of Gozo. It was intended to be a new fortified city like Valletta, and eventually to replace the Cittadella as the island's capital. This was unsuccessful, and eventually only the fort was built. It saw some action during the French occupation of 1798, but its importance eventually diminished. It

1764-465: The Order of Saint John by Emperor Charles V . The knights settled in the town of Birgu and made it their capital. Soon after their arrival, the Order rebuilt the Castrum Maris , calling it Fort Saint Angelo . Later on, the entire town of Birgu began to be surrounded by new fortifications , in a similar style to the Order's earlier defences in Rhodes . Birgu's land front was built by 1540. Following

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1848-536: The Romans and renamed Melita ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Μελίτη , Melítē ) after the Greek and Latin name for the island, probably taken from the Punic port at Cospicua on the Grand Harbour . Greco-Roman Melite was larger than present-day Mdina. It was reduced to its present size during the period of Byzantine or Arab rule . Following a 9th-century massacre, the area was largely uninhabited until its refounding in

1932-608: The attack of 1551 , the Order realised the need to build more defences. Two forts were built in 1552: Fort Saint Elmo at the tip of the Sciberras Peninsula, on the site of an Aragonese watchtower, and Fort Saint Michael in Senglea. In 1553, a new fortified city began to be built around Fort Saint Michael, and it was named Senglea after the Grand Master who built it. In 1565, the Ottomans attacked again in

2016-400: The fortifications of Birgu and Valletta , and upgraded the medieval defences. By the end of the 18th century, Malta had extensive fortifications around the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett , as well as a coastal defence system consisting of towers, batteries, redoubts and entrenchments. Following a brief French occupation , the islands fell under British rule in 1800. Between the 1870s and

2100-474: The fortifications of Senglea were demolished to make way for extensions of the Malta Dockyard . Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the British built barracks in various parts of the island, such as Tigné Point and Pembroke . In 1866, Colonel William Jervois produced a report entitled "Memorandum with reference to the improvements to the defences of Malta and Gibraltar, rendered necessary by

2184-457: The threat from the Arabs increased. In 870, Byzantine Melite, which was ruled by governor Amros (probably Ambrosios), was besieged by Aghlabids led by Halaf al-Hādim. He was killed in the fighting, and Sawāda Ibn Muḥammad was sent from Sicily to continue the siege following his death. The duration of the siege is unknown, but it probably lasted for some weeks or months. After Melite fell to

2268-447: The 11th century as Madīnah , from which the town's current name derives. Mdina then continued to serve as the capital of Malta until the arrival of the Order of St. John in 1530, who used Birgu instead. Mdina experienced a period of decline over the following centuries, although it saw a revival in the early 18th century during which several Baroque buildings were erected. Largely maintaining its medieval character, Mdina remained

2352-422: The 1540s, the fortifications began to be upgraded during the magistracy of Juan de Homedes y Coscon , and in 1551 the city withstood a brief Ottoman attack . During the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, Mdina was the base of the Order's cavalry, which made occasional sorties on the invading Ottomans. On 7 August 1565, the cavalry attacked the unprotected Ottoman field hospital, which led to the invaders abandoning

2436-537: The 17th century, especially by the building of the Carafa Enceinte in 1687. With the development of new technologies, by the 17th century it was realised that while Valletta's fortifications were well designed, they were not strong enough to withstand a heavy attack. Because of this, the Floriana Lines , encircling Valletta's original land front, were built from 1635 to the 1640s. In the 18th century,

2520-466: The 1900s a number of polygonal forts and batteries were built around Malta's coastline and along the Great Fault . In the 1930s and 1940s, Fort Campbell , a series of pillboxes and a number of anti-aircraft batteries were constructed, and these were the last fortifications to be built in Malta. Malta's fortifications are considered to be among the best examples of military architecture anywhere in

2604-404: The French blockaded in the well-defended harbour area. The Maltese insurgents, helped by the British, hastily built various fortifications mainly intended to repel a possible French counter-attack, and at the same time also bombard French positions in the harbour area. The insurgents had various camps, and men in these camps were responsible for a number of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments in

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2688-585: The Maltese islands as a protectorate in 1800, and later as a colony in 1813. They initially used the Hospitaller fortifications without any alterations. Under the military theory of the time, the Royal Navy 's Mediterranean Fleet was regarded as the most reliable protection against invasion, and in fact the British Civil Commissioner , Henry Pigot , wanted to demolish the majority of Valletta's fortifications in 1801, although this

2772-626: The Maltese set up a National Assembly which met at Mdina's Banca Giuratale. The rebels were successful, and in 1800 the French surrendered and Malta became a British protectorate . From 1883 to 1931, Mdina was linked with Valletta by the Malta Railway . Today, Mdina is one of Malta's major tourist attractions, hosting about 1.5 million tourists a year. No cars (other than a limited number of residents, emergency vehicles, wedding cars and horses) are allowed in Mdina, partly why it has earned

2856-417: The Order from Malta during the Mediterranean campaign of 1798 , and the Order surrendered after a couple of days. The Maltese, although initially welcoming the French occupiers, rebelled after a couple of months due to a number of reforms and the looting of churches. The insurgents took control of Gozo which became briefly independent , as well as Mdina and the towns and villages of the main island, leaving

2940-594: The Punico-Roman city survive today. The most significant are the ruins of the Domus Romana , in which several well-preserved mosaics, statues and other remains were discovered. Remains of the podium of a Temple of Apollo , fragments of the city walls and some other sites have also been excavated. At some point following the fall of the Western Roman Empire , a retrenchment was built within

3024-644: The Santa Margherita and Cottonera Lines in the early 18th century, although some of the planned ravelins, cavaliers, ditch and other fortifications were never constructed. Fort San Salvatore was built on one of the Cottonera Lines bastions in 1724. Fort Ricasoli was built between 1670 and 1698 commanding the eastern arm of the Grand Harbour. It has an irregular plan following the coastline, with bastions, curtains and ravelins. The fort

3108-427: The Sciberras Peninsula. The first stone of the new city was laid down in 1566, and it was called Valletta . The city walls , which were constructed mainly in the 1560s and 1570s, remain largely intact to this day, and they include bastions, cavaliers, counterguards and a ditch. The ruined Fort Saint Elmo was rebuilt and integrated into the city walls. The area around St Elmo was strengthened a number of times later on in

3192-604: The Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery were used as “The War Rooms” of Britain's War HQ in Malta. The facility later housed the headquarters of the Allied invasion of Sicily during mid-1943. On 24 December 1941, Lascaris Battery, along with the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the Saluting Battery, were damaged in an air raid. The damaged parts were later rebuilt. A high bastion was built on

3276-533: The arming of the Italian ironclads Duilio and Enrico Dandolo with 100-ton guns , the British feared an Italian attack on Malta, as the ships could fire on Malta's batteries, destroying them one after the other, while keeping outside their guns' range. To prevent this, the British requested that four 100-ton guns be built. Two of these were installed in Malta, and Cambridge Battery and Rinella Battery were built specifically to house these guns. Construction of

3360-458: The bastioned trace in Malta. The Order's last major fortification in the harbour area was Fort Tigné , built at Tigné Point between 1793 and 1795. It was built to protect the entrance of Marsamxett, along with Fort Saint Elmo. The fort's architecture is very different from the Order's earlier forts, and although very small by 18th century standards, it has been described as among the most revolutionary and influential of Malta's fortifications as it

3444-605: The batteries began in 1878 and they were complete by 1886. The gun at Rinella still exists. From 1888 to 1910, a new series of fortifications were built to house breech-loading guns . These were Della Grazie Battery , Spinola Battery , Garden Battery , Wolseley Battery , Pembroke Battery and Fort Benghisa . The latter was the last polygonal fort to be built in Malta. After the early 20th century, few fortifications were built in Malta. However, new military installations such as airfields began to be built in World War I , when

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3528-559: The beginning of the 1860s, the battery was equipped with fourteen 8-inch 9-ton RML guns. In addition, four 10-inch 18-ton guns were stationed on the left flank of the battery. On an additional platform beneath the left flank of the saluting battery were three 10-inch howitzers . In 1884, the battery was armed with seven 64-pound 64-cwt RML guns in the casemates, which were protected by a wall approximately 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) thick. Since these guns were outmoded, they had to be replaced by more modern artillery. A 9-inch 12-ton RML gun

3612-437: The centre of the Maltese nobility and religious authorities and property continues to largely be passed down from families and from generation to generation. It never regained its pre-1530 importance, however, giving rise to the popular nickname the "Silent City" by both locals and visitors. Mdina is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites , and it is now one of the main tourist attractions in Malta. The name of

3696-544: The city derives from the Arabic word madīnah ( مدينة ‎), meaning "town" or "city". The name Melite or Melita , associated with the former ancient settlement on the same site, has survived as the name of the island (Malta). The plateau on which Mdina is built has been inhabited since prehistory, and by the Bronze Age it was a place of refuge since it was naturally defensible. The Phoenicians established

3780-479: The city had also been reduced to around its present-day size. The area to the south that had formerly been part of Roman Melite, now situated outside the city walls, was turned into a suburb, present-day Rabat. The population of Malta during the fifteenth century was about 10,000, with town life limited to Mdina, Birgu and the Gozo Citadel . Mdina was comparatively small and partly uninhabited and by 1419, it

3864-610: The city was already a thriving Muslim settlement by the beginning of the 11th century, so 1048–49 might be the date when the city was officially founded and its walls were constructed. The layout of the new city was completely different to that of ancient Melite. Some aspects of present-day Mdina's layout, such as its narrow and maze-like streets, may still reflect the legacy of this period and share some similarities with historic North African medinas . The Byzantines besieged Medina in 1053–54, but were repelled by its defenders. The city surrendered peacefully to Roger I of Sicily after

3948-433: The city's land front. The central De Redin Bastion was built by Grand Master Martin de Redin in the mid-17th century. The city was damaged during the 1693 Sicily earthquake , and repairs were made over the course of the 18th century. During the rebuilding, the city's entrance was replaced by a larger gate by the architect Charles François de Mondion in 1724, and the last modifications were made in 1746, when Despuig Bastion

4032-424: The city's northern walls were retained in their original medieval form. The early 17th century modifications included the construction of bastions, cavaliers, magazines and a battery. Despite the significant fortifications in the harbour area, the rest of the islands remained mostly undefended until the 17th century, and they were prone to attacks (such as the raid of 1551 ). This changed in 1605, when Garzes Tower

4116-536: The city, reducing it to its present size. This was done to make the city's perimeter more easily defensible, and similar reductions in city sizes were common around the Mediterranean region in the early Middle Ages. Although it was traditionally assumed that the retrenchment was built by the Arabs, it has been suggested that it was actually built by the Byzantine Empire in around the 8th century, when

4200-465: The coast from attack. Of the six towers, one collapsed in around 1715 and another was demolished in 1888. The other four towers survive to this day. Seven more towers were built between 1637 and 1638. These were much smaller than the Wignacourt towers, as they were built as watchtowers and a communication link to warn the Order's base in the Grand Harbour of an attack. In 1647, Saint Agatha's Tower

4284-775: The cordon of Fort St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo and penetrated the harbour. Construction of Lascaris Battery began in 1854, on the site of Ġnien is-Sultan , a garden that had been built by Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris . The battery was thus named after him. During the Second World War , the Lascaris War Rooms were dug under the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the casemates of the Lascaris Battery, into rock. The network of tunnels and chambers located 150 feet (46 m) below

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4368-499: The earlier fortifications in Malta as it was designed to counter the new threat of aerial bombardment. It had an irregular plan and its perimeter was guarded by machine gun posts and a few rifle loopholes. The buildings inside were scattered so as not to create a concentration of buildings. The fort still exists, although it is largely in ruins. During the Second World War , the Lascaris War Rooms were built in Valletta to serve as

4452-570: The early 16th century, it belonged to the de Nava family. In 1417, the local militia had at least 24 watch posts around the Maltese islands, and in some cases there might have been fortified coastal watchtowers at these posts. One of these towers is known to have been built at St Elmo Point on the Sciberras Peninsula by the Aragonese in 1488. In 1530, the Maltese islands along with the North African port city of Tripoli were given to

4536-762: The entire system was decommissioned in 1907, with the exception of the coastal towers. Today, parts of the lines have collapsed but other parts in the countryside, including the three forts, still survive. Another fort, Fort Pembroke , was built between 1875 and 1878 to cover the gap between the Victoria Lines and the harbour area. The British also built a number of forts to protect Marsaxlokk Harbour. These included Fort San Lucian (1874–78), Fort Delimara (1876–88), Fort Tas-Silġ (1879–83). In 1881 and 1882, Saint Paul's Battery and Żonqor Battery were built in Marsaxlokk and Marsaskala respectively. Following

4620-546: The fortifications and the city entrance were completely rebuilt. The remains of the Castellu di la Chitati were demolished to make way for Palazzo Vilhena , while the main gate was walled up and a new Mdina Gate was built nearby. Several public buildings were also built, including the Banca Giuratale and the Corte Capitanale . The last major addition to the Mdina fortifications was Despuig Bastion, which

4704-430: The fortifications was tested in 1799 when a French counter-attack from Fort Manoel was repelled by the insurgent batteries. None of these fortifications survive intact, although some pre-existing buildings that were used as blockhouses may still be seen. San Rocco Battery , one of the insurgents' fortifications, was the location where Fort Saint Rocco was built later on in the late 19th century. The British took over

4788-513: The fortifications, with the exception of the tower itself, were dismantled and rebuilt by the British later on in the 19th century and the name Fort Rohan fell into disuse. Apart from the knights' fortifications, over the years various individuals or families built their own fortifications. These were mainly fortified residences or private watchtowers. A notable surviving example is Mamo Tower , built in 1657 in Marsaskala. The French evicted

4872-409: The harbour side of SS Peter and Paul Bastion, below the rectangular Saluting Battery . Lascaris Battery has an irregular trapezoid shape with rounded corners. A shooting platform extends from the right flank. A parade ground was located inside the new bastion. Beginning in 1868, the two-storey casemates were converted to barracks , which, as a result, have open galleries facing the parade ground. At

4956-426: The introduction of Iron Plated Ships and powerful rifled guns", in which he gave Malta (along with Gibraltar , Halifax and Bermuda ) the status of an "imperial fortress". A programme to improve Malta's fortifications began soon after, and a number of new polygonal forts and batteries were built, including Sliema Point Battery (1872), Fort St. Rocco (1872–73) and Fort Leonardo (1875–78). From 1871 to 1880,

5040-448: The invaders, the inhabitants were massacred, the city was destroyed and its churches were looted. Marble from Melite's churches was used to build the castle of Sousse ( Ribat of Sousse , Tunisia ) . According to Al-Himyarī , Malta remained almost uninhabited until it was resettled in 1048 or 1049 by Muslims from Sicily and their slaves, who built a settlement called Madina on the site of Melite. Archaeological evidence suggests that

5124-472: The late Punic or Roman periods. It is possible that these were used as watchtowers, but some historians dispute this since their locations do not really make sense in defensive systems. According to Al-Himyarī , when the Arabs captured Malta in 870 AD, they besieged, captured, sacked and dismantled a fortress. By 1241, the Gran Castello or Cittadella on Gozo was definitely fortified, although

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5208-465: The majority of seats and all mayors of Mdina have come from this party, with the Labour Party holding either one, two or no seats at all since the inception of the council. Peter Joseph Sant Manduca, Count of Sant Manduca, has been Mayor of Mdina since 2003. The 2019 election did not happen as only five nominations (therefore equalling the total amount of seats) were submitted. The following are

5292-471: The medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of 250. A natural redoubt , the area of the city has been inhabited since prehistory. A Phoenician colony known as Ann ( Phoenician : 𐤀𐤍𐤍‎ , ʾNN ) was established around the 8th century BC, sharing its name with the island and presumably acting as its capital. During the Punic Wars , the town was acquired by

5376-492: The more heavily populated south. The system of defences consisted of a line of fortifications flanked by defensive towers, along with entrenchments and gun emplacements. Several artillery batteries were planned, but only San Giovanni Battery and Tarġa Battery were actually built. Three forts were also built along the lines: Fort Binġemma , Fort Madalena and Fort Mosta . The lines were completed in 1899, but exercises in 1900 proved that they were of dubious defensive value, and

5460-465: The nickname 'the Silent City' ( Maltese : Il-Belt Siekta ). The city displays an unusual mix of Norman and Baroque architecture , including several palaces, most of which serve as private homes. An extensive restoration of the city walls was undertaken between 2008 and 2016. Minority Mdina is governed by a directly elected 5-member Local Council. The Nationalist Party has always had

5544-406: The north eastern part of the island. A few of them have been restored and are cared for, but many others were demolished. Some pillboxes are still being destroyed as they are not considered to have any architectural or historic value. The last fort to be built in Malta was Fort Campbell , which was built near Mellieħa between late 1937 and 1938. The design of the fort is completely different from

5628-616: The seaplane base of RAF Kalafrana and the airfield at Marsa were built. More airfields were built in the interwar period and the Second World War, including RAF Hal Far , RAF Ta Kali , RAF Luqa , RAF Safi , RAF Krendi and Ta' Lambert Airfield . From the Abyssinian Crisis of 1935 onwards, the British built many pillboxes in Malta for defence in case of an Italian invasion. Many others were built during World War II . Many pillboxes still exist, especially on

5712-621: The vicinity. The most important batteries were the Corradino Batteries , Għargħar Battery , Tal-Borg Battery and Tas-Samra Battery . The fortifications surrounded the entire harbour area, stretching all the way from Sliema to Kalkara . The design of the batteries was based on the coastal batteries and entrenchments built by the Order in the 18th century, while most of the entrenchments consisted of long stretches of rubble walls. They were armed by guns taken from coastal fortifications such as Saint Mary's Tower . The usefulness of

5796-402: The war headquarters for the defence of Malta. They were later used in the headquarters of the Allied invasion of Sicily . Throughout the war, many air-raid shelters also were dug in the limestone rock of the islands, either by the government or by individuals or families, to protect the civilian population of Malta from Italian or German aerial bombardment. Many of the shelters still exist, and

5880-410: The world are fortifications more extensive, more impressive, more outstanding than they are in Malta." The first fortifications in Malta were built during the Bronze Age . At least six sites have been identified as possible fortified settlements. The best preserved of these is the village of Borġ in-Nadur , close to the modern town of Birżebbuġa . Around 1450 BC, the inhabitants of the village built

5964-844: The world. Major General Whitworth Porter of the Royal Engineers , called Malta "the most powerful artificial fortress in the world" in his 1858 book A History of the Fortress of Malta . In his 1893 book The Story of Malta , Maturin Murray Ballou wrote that "there is not a more complete system of fortifications extant, in any part of the world, than the cordon of defensive structures at Malta." The British architect Quentin Hughes referred to Malta's fortifications as "for sheer concentration and majesty quite unmatched", while judge and historian Giovanni Bonello said that "nowhere in

6048-722: Was about three times the size of present-day Mdina, extending into a large part of modern Rabat . According to the Acts of the Apostles , Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked on Malta in AD 60, greeted by its governor Publius , and miraculously cured the governor's sick father before leaving. Christian legend holds that the population of Malta then converted to Christianity , with Publius becoming Bishop of Malta and then Bishop of Athens before being martyred in 112. Very few remains of

6132-465: Was already outgrown by its suburb, Rabat. Under Aragonese rule, local government rested on the Università , a communal body based in Mdina, which collected taxation and administered the islands' limited resources. At various points during the fifteenth century, this town council complained to its Aragonese overlords that the islands were at the mercy of the sea and the saracens . The city withstood

6216-603: Was built in Mellieħa . This was a large tower intended as a strongpoint, and was built in the style of the Wignacourt towers. Two more towers were built at Dwejra and Xlendi on Gozo in 1650 and 1652. The ten towers built between 1637 and 1652 are collectively known as the Lascaris towers after the Grand Master who built them, and nine of them survive to this day. Another series of towers were built between 1658 and 1659. Fourteen towers were built in all, which are together known as

6300-538: Was built in Mġarr on the island of Gozo . This watchtower no longer exists as it was demolished by the British administration in 1848. In the following years, more towers were built around the islands. The first group, the Wignacourt towers , were built between 1610 and 1620. Six of these were built, and they were more than just watchtowers as they formed significant strongpoints intended to protect vulnerable sections of

6384-476: Was completed in 1746. On 10 June 1798, Mdina was captured by French forces without much resistance during the French invasion of Malta . A French garrison remained in the city, but a Maltese uprising broke out on 2 September of that year. The following day, rebels entered the city through a sally port and massacred the garrison of 65 men. These events marked the beginning of a two-year uprising and blockade , and

6468-434: Was completed. There were other plans to strengthen the city but these were not implemented as the Order focused on the fortifications at the harbour area. The defences of Gozo's Cittadella were also improved by the Order. In 1551, the city was devastated by an Ottoman raid which took almost Gozo's entire population as slaves. The city's entrance and southern walls were later completely rebuilt between 1599 and 1622, although

6552-469: Was constructed in Gozo in 1667. The tower had almost collapsed but was rebuilt in the early 2000s and it is now in good condition. From 1714 onwards, about 52 batteries and redoubts were built around the coasts of Malta and Gozo. A few of the batteries were built around existing coastal watchtowers, such as Qawra and Aħrax Towers . Most of the batteries were destroyed over the years or are in ruins, but

6636-408: Was converted into a hospital in the 19th century. In the 1990s, the interior of the fort began to be redeveloped, but the outer bastions and some barracks remain intact. Between 1793 and 1795, Saint Lucian Tower and its battery were strengthened with a ditch and an entrenchment-like enclosure, and the complex was renamed Fort Rohan after the reigning Grand Master, Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc . Most of

6720-495: Was improved later on in the 18th century. Fort Saint Angelo was also extensively modified in the 1690s, when it was upgraded with the building of various batteries and other defences. From 1723 to 1733, Fort Manoel was built on Manoel Island in Marsamxett Harbour , so as to protect Valletta's western flank. The Baroque fort is square in shape, with four corner bastions. It was the last major fort to be built with

6804-452: Was mounted on the battery on an open barbette in a very exposed situation. The powder store, with a capacity of 30,500 pounds (13,800 kg), was protected only by 3 metres (9.8 ft) walls and roof. Overall, the construction of the battery was outdated and the installation no longer able to defend against modern artillery. Fortifications of Malta#Hospitaller fortifications (1530–1798) The fortifications of Malta consist of

6888-475: Was never done. During the British period, the various forts of the Order were rearmed, refitted and altered a number of times to keep up with the latest military technology. In the 1850s, the British built Fort Verdala and St. Clement's Retrenchment in the Cottonera area, while Lascaris Battery was built in Valletta. Later on in the 19th century, parts of the Cottonera Lines , Santa Margherita Lines and

6972-497: Was rebuilt by Lorenzo Gafà in the Baroque style between 1697 and 1703. On 3 November 1722, newly elected Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena issued orders for the restoration and renovation of Mdina. This renovation was entrusted to the French architect and military engineer Charles François de Mondion , who introduced strong French Baroque elements into what was still a largely medieval city. At this point, large parts of

7056-492: Was renamed Melite. The city was again renamed Medina by the Arabs which led to its present name Mdina . Its fortifications were modified a number of times over time, and although most were dismantled and rebuilt between the 16th and 18th centuries, some foundations of the ancient Punic-Roman ramparts, as well as various medieval remains, were recently discovered during excavations. The remains of several round towers have been found in Malta, and they are believed to date back to

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