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Located in the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta has been a part of most of the major empires of history. The Phoenicians used Malta as staging-post for their travels on the sea. Malta became part of the Roman empire when Carthage fell. Arabs occupied Malta beginning in the ninth century, influencing today's Maltese language and the place names of many of Malta's towns.

In the eleventh century, the Normans took over Malta and held it until it fell into the hands of Spain's Ferdinand and Isabella, who eventually gave the islands to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who governed from the mid-sixteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century.

During the nineteenth and most of the twentieth century, Malta was under British protection.

A place that is attacked as often as Malta has been needs to have good fortifications. This isn't just protection for the main harbor; the whole island has walls and bastions anywhere there's an opportunity to come ashore. Inland cities are walled, too. The fortifications are made from limestone, as are most of Malta's buildings.

Most of the island fortifications were established by the victorious Knights after the Great Siege of 1565. They were never tested again in an attack from the sea. During World War II, the second Great Siege was conducted by air, with German bombers bypassing the ubiquitous fortifications.

The city of Mdina was the capital of the island from the time of the Arabs until the Knights moved the capital to Valletta. Mdina was the seat of power and the home of Malta's most distinguished families. Some of the patrician homes there are still owned by the original families.  Mdina (em-DEE-na) is protected on a high ridge with a wall and a dry moat.

The Mdina Cathedral was built in the 17th century on the site of older cathedrals dating back to the twelfth century. Inside, the floors are made from multicolored marble mosaics, the ceilings are covered with frescoes, and the side chapels are decorated ornately.

The twin bell tower design shown in the photo is common to most churches in Malta.  Notice that there are clocks on each tower and that they show very different times. This is true on all Maltese churches. When the devil comes to collect souls, the varied times will be so confusing that the devil will have to go back empty-handed.

Saint John's Co-Cathedral was begun soon after the Knights arrived at Malta, in 1573. The interior, accomplished over many years, is now a high baroque, with marble tombstones covering the floor, carvings on every wall, and frescoes on the ceilings. There are also exquisite sculptures on the altar and in the side chapels, and a Caravaggio masterpiece The Beheading of Saint John, which was commissioned by the church for the spot that it still stands.

The Grand Master's Palace in Valletta was originally built for the Grand Master (head Knight), who acted as a head of state in Malta. When the British came to govern, the Grand Master's Palace served as the offices, and since 1976, the building has housed the offices of the Maltese government.

This hallway is typical of the architecture and furnishings throughout the Palace. It appears to be guarded by invisible Knights. More armor and ammunition is exhibited in a museum on the ground floor of the Palace. The Grand Master's Apartments include a Council Chamber filled with tapestries, the Supreme Council Hall with a giant frieze of the Great Siege of 1565, and the State Room, where foreign dignitaries are received.