Mdina gate, Malta

The iconic Mdina Gate, featured in Game of Thrones!

Mdina used to be Malta’s old capital and has had various different names under different regimes. In 1000 B.C, the Phoenicians named the area Malet, like the island’s name back then, meaning ‘refuge’ but after 870 A.D, Mdina was given it’s name as it is known today, which means fortified city. For defence purposes, the Arabs separated Mdina from Rabat with a deep ditch, and surrounded the city with new walls. From this time onwards, the city barely changed, with the strucuture and plan of the streets remaining practically the same as the one of a thousand years ago.

Can you imagine walking through the same gate as Ned Stark?