Madinah (المدينة, Medina)

The region around present-day Medina has been inhabited since at least the 9th century BC. By the 4th century, the city had been established as Yathrib (يَثْرِب) and it was ruled by originally ruled by Jewish-Arabian tribes up until the 5th century. A century later, the Jewish rulers lost control of the city to the Arab tribesof 'Aws and Khazraj.

Mug´hammed arrived in 622 and ruled until 660. During that period, the city was renamed Taybah, but the name Madīnat an-Nabī (City of the Prophet) was also used. Later, it was changed to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (The Enlightened City), which is the city's official name, but it is commonly referred to as just Madinah (The City), which in English is spelled as Medina.

The Umayyads ruled Medina from 660 to 749, when it was conquered by the Abbasids. In 1254, the Mamluks of Egypt arrived and Medina ultimatley became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517.

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, the Hashemites took over. The city was finally incorporated into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1925.

Saudi Arabia upholds Wahhabism as its religious ideology, which is hostile to any reverence given to historical or religious places of significance for fear that it may give rise to shirk (idolatry). As a result, countless historic buildings in Medina have been demolished.

Despite of this, Medina is still considered to be the 'cradle of Islamic culture and civilization'. It is the 2nd holiest city in Islam and according to Muslim belief, a larger portion of the Qur'an was revealed in Medina in contrast to the earlier Meccan surahs.

Points of interest

The Saudi government has carried out the destruction of numerous historical structures and archaeological sites, both in Medina and Mecca, so most of the sights in these cities are recent constructions.

The Hejaz Railway Museum (متحف سكة الحجاز) opened in 2006. It is housed in the historic Ottoman railway station, which has been beautifully restored. The museum includes a stretch of historic track and a train shed. The museum exhibits several historic engines and other rolling stock, as well as related items. One of the engines was restored and is operational.
Jabal Uḥud ( جَبَل أُحُد, Mount Uhud) is a mountain, located to the north of Medina. It is 1,077 m (3,533 ft) high, making it the highest mountain in the area. In 625, it was the location of the battle of Uhud, which was fought between Medina and Mecca.

Religious buildings

The Al-Khandaq Mosque (The trench mosque) is located at the site of the Battle of the Trench, which took place in 627, when the Arab tribe of the Quraysh tried to conquer Medina.
al-Masjid al-Nabawī (ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلنَّبَوِي, Mosque of the Prophet) is world's the 2nd-largest mosque. It was built in 622 and serves as the burial site of the prophet Muhammad. Observant Muslims try to visit his tomb, the rawḍah, at least once in their lifetime during a pilgrimage that is known as Ziyarat. The rawḍahGreen is located beneath the green dome in the southeastern corner of the mosque, which was originally known as Aisha's house. The mosque has a capacity of 1.5 million worshippers.
al-Masājid al-Sabʿa (المساجد السبعة, Seven Mosques) comprised 6 small historic mosques. The mosques of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Al-Fath and Salman were demolished and rebuilt as one larger mosque to provide more space for prayer. As a result, the complex currently consists of 4 mosques. Some think that there might have been 7 mosques originally, hence the name Seven Mosques. The mosques are:
- The Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque was located only 15 m (49 ft) southeast of the Salman Al-Farsi Mosque. It has been rebuilt to form one larger space with the Al-Fath Mosque and the Salman Al-Farsi Mosque.
- The Al-Fath Mosque is the largest of the 6 mosques. It is located in the western part and at the foot of Mount Sala'. The mosque was built at the end of the 7th century. It was renovated in 1154.
- The Salman Al-Farsi Mosque was located 20 m (66 ft) south of the Al-Fath Mosque, with which it was connected to form a larger space. The mosque was named after Salman Al-Farsi, who led the construction of trenches during the Battle of the Trench. The mosque was built at the end of the 7th century. It was renovated in 1154.
- The Ali bin Abu Talib Mosque sits on a small hill to the south of the Fathimah Az-Zahra Mosque. It was renovated in the 2020s.
- The Fatimah Az-Zahra Mosque only measures 4 by 3 m (13.1 by 9.8 ft). It was built during the time of Ottoman rule and it is attached to the other mosques.
- The Umar bin Khattab Mosque stands only 10 m (33 ft) south of Abu Bakar As-Siddiq Mosque.
The Jāmiʿ Sayyid Ash-Shuhadāʾ (جَامِع سَيِّد ٱلشُّهَدَاء, Sayyid Ash-Shuhada Mosque) was built in 2017. It is located some 3 km from the cemetery where 70 companions of the Prophet are buried, who died during the battle of Uhud.
The Jannat al-Baqī (Arabic: ٱلْبَقِيْع, Baqi' Cemetery) was established in 622, making it the oldest Islamic cemetery in Medina. It is also referred to as Baqi al-Gharqad (بَقِيْع الْغَرْقَد, Baqi' of the Boxthorn). There used to be several monuments and mosques in the cemetery, but they were demolished in 1806, then rebuilt and ultimately demolished once again in 1926, as they were thought to be the source of idolatry.
According to Muslim belief, the Masjid al-Qiblatayn (مسجد القبلتين, Mosque of the Two Qiblas) was the place, where Islamic prophet Muhammad received the command to change the Qibla (direction of prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca. The mosque was built in 623 and it features two mihrabs (niches indicating the qibla), one for the direction of Jerusalem and another one that was added, after the direction of the qibla was changed to Mecca. The mosque was demolished in the 1980s and completele rebuilt in a modern design. The current building opened in 1987.
The Masjid Uhud (Uhud Mosque) is located in the vicinity of Mount Uhud.
The Quba Mosque (مَسْجِد قُبَاء) was originally built in the 7th century. It was modified and enlarged numerous times throughout its history. In 1984, it was demolished and completely rebuilt. The current structure was opened in 1986, but there are plans to enlarge it once again.
The Tomb of Salahuddin al-Ayyubi. He started a tradition of greatly funding Medina and protecting pilgrims visiting the holy city.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Medina. The city has excellent road and high-speed rail connections with other cities in Saudi Arabia. Medina is located in the west of the country, 725 km west from Riyadh.

Hotels in Madinah

Images

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