Malagina (Greek: Μαλάγινα), in later times Melangeia (Μελάγγεια), was a Byzantine district in the valley of the Sangarius river in northern Bithynia, at least overlapping the modern territory of Pamukova.
[5] Other sources state that the first mention of Malagina is in a text attributed to St. Methodius, dating from the late seventh century.
[4] In 1145, Emperor Manuel I Komnenos restored the fortifications of the district's main fortress at Metabole after a Turkish raid, and used it as a base for his campaigns against the Seljuk Sultanate of Iconium.
The city, however, is not mentioned again in Byzantine sources, and presumably fell during the obscure wars of 1225-1231 between Nicaea and the Jandarid emirs of Kastamonu.
[7] Although there were difficulties in precising the location of Malagina, it was facilitated by the discovery of the ruins of Metabole in 1982, by the British archeologist Clive Foss.