Medina

Medina


Medina is a city in the Hejaz Region, in the western part of Saudi Arabia. The city covers 589 sq km (227 sq mi) and has a population of around 1.4 million people (2011 estimate). It serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province.

Medina is regarded as the second holiest city in Islam. Its significance lies it it being the burial place of Prophet Muhammad. It was also his home after the Hijrah.

The history of Medina can be traced to the 6th century BC. It was mentioned in Assyrian text. The city was known by various names through history. During the time of Ptolemy, it was known as Lathrippa. Jews lived in the city from the 2nd century AD following the Jewish-Roman Wars.

During the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Medina was known as Yathrib. Muhammad had arrived there in AD 622 following religious hostility towards him in Mecca. Following Muhammad's arrival, the name Medina, which means "city", gained popularity. It is believed to have been derived from the Aramaic word Medinta, which was used by the Jewish inhabitants there to mean city.

Today Medina is the home to three of the oldest mosques in Islam, namely the Masjid al-Nabawi, Masjid al-Quba and Masjid al-Qiblatain. Apart from these three mosques, much of the rest of Medina's Islamic heritage buildings have been systematically destroyed since the start of Saudi rule, as the government were concerned that historic sites could breed idolatry.

Going to Medina

Central Medina is strictly off limits to non-Muslims. Visitors will have their documentation checked and those without proof of being Muslim will be deported from the country. The outskirts of Medina as well as its airport are accessible to all.

By Plane
Most visitors who are on the Hajj pilgrimage arrive by pilgrimage bus from Mecca. They usually enter Saudi Arabia via the King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah.

Sights in Medina

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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