The Knights of Malta Museum
Discover the life and times of the Crusader Knights in Mdina’s historic Casa Magazzini, featuring 34 tableaux and a 3D audio-visual show.
Planning your visit
The Knights Hospitaller ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798, and the island's fortifications, palaces and auberges are their work. The Knights of Malta Museum in Mdina uses 34 life-size tableaux in the vaulted spaces of the Casa Magazzini to tell their story: the origins as a hospital order in Jerusalem, the crusading centuries, the loss of Rhodes to the Ottomans, the grant of Malta by Charles V, and the Great Siege of 1565, when a few hundred knights and Maltese militia held out against an Ottoman force many times their size.
The siege is the centrepiece and reasonably so — it was among the most consequential engagements of the sixteenth century, and Valletta was built afterwards as a result.
A 3D audio-visual presentation supplements the tableaux.
Mdina itself is the point of coming: the fortified former capital, largely medieval, almost car-free, and known as the Silent City. Walking its lanes in the evening after the tour buses leave is the memorable part. Allow an hour for the museum. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is The Knights of Malta Museum?
The Knights of Malta Museum is in Mdina, Malta.
How long should I allow for The Knights of Malta Museum?
Allow an hour for the museum. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book The Knights of Malta Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
