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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About this website

Thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye. My hobby is to research information about places, and share the information with people on this website. I started this website on 5 January 2003, and since then, have written about over 20,000 places, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore.

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. While I try my best to provide you information that is as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors. Also, as I might not be able to update some information on time, some of these pages may contain outdated information.