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Medina المدينة The Prophet’s City مدينة النبي The Prophetic City المدينة النبوية The Pure طيبة The Purest of Pure طيبة الطيبة
City
Al Madinat Al Munawwarah المدينة المنورة
From top, left to right: Al-Masjid an-Nabawi interior, Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Medina skyline from Jannat al-Baqīʿ, Mount Uhud, Exterior entrance of Masjid an-Nabawi, Mosque of the Prophet Skyline at Night.
Medina Location of Medina Medina Medina (Asia)
Coordinates: 24°28′12″N 39°36′36″E / 24.47000°N 39.61000°E
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Medina Province
First settled	9th century BCE
Hijrah	622 CE (1 AH)
Saudi conquest of Hejaz	5 December 1925
Named for	Muhammad
Districts	Urban Al Haram Quba’a Uhud Al ‘Awali Al ‘Uqaiq Al ‘Uyoon Al Baidaa’ Suburban Al ‘Aqul Al Mulayleeh Al Mandasah Abyar Al Mashi Al Fareesh
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Madinah Regional Municipality
• Mayor	Fahad Al-Belaihshi[1]
• Provincial Governor	Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud
Area
• City	589 km2 (227 sq mi)
• Urban	293 km2 (117 sq mi)
• Rural	296 km2 (114 sq mi)
Elevation	620 m (2,030 ft)
Highest elevation (Mount Uhud)	1,077 m (3,533 ft)
Population  (2010)
• City	1,183,205
• Rank	4th
• Density	2,009/km2 (5,212/sq mi)
• Urban	785,204
• Urban density	2,680/km2 (6,949/sq mi)
• Rural	398,001
Demonym(s)	Madani مدني
Time zone	UTC+03:00 (SAST)
Website	amana-md.gov.sa/En/

Medina,^[a] officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (Arabic: المدينة المنورة, romanized: al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, lit. ‘The Enlightened City’, Hejazi pronunciation: [almadiːna almʊnawːara], and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (المدينة, al-Madina, Hejazi pronunciation: [almadiːna]), is the second-holiest city in Islam and the capital of Medina Province in Saudi Arabia. As of 2020, the estimated population of the city is 1,488,782,^[2] making it the fourth-most populous city in the country.^[3] Located at the core of the Medina Province in the western reaches of the country, the city is distributed over 589 km² (227 sq mi), of which 293 km² (113 sq mi) constitutes the city’s urban area, while the rest is occupied by the Hejaz Mountains, empty valleys, agricultural spaces and older dormant volcanoes.

Medina is generally considered to be the «cradle of Islamic culture and civilization».^[4] The city is considered to be the second-holiest of three key cities in Islamic tradition, with Mecca and Jerusalem serving as the holiest and third-holiest cities respectively. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (lit. ‘The Prophet’s Mosque’) is of exceptional importance in Islam and serves as burial site of the last Islamic prophet, Muhammad, by whom the mosque was built in 622 CE. Observant Muslims usually visit his tomb, or rawdhah, at least once in their lifetime during a pilgrimage known as Ziyarat, although this is not obligatory.^[5] The original name of the city before the advent of Islam was Yathrib (Hebrew: יתריב; Arabic: يَثْرِب), and it is referred to by this name in Chapter 33 (Al-Aḥzāb, lit. ‘The Confederates’) of the Quran. It was renamed to Madīnat an-Nabī (lit. ‘City of the Prophet’ or ‘The Prophet’s City’) after Muhammad’s death and later to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (lit. ‘The Enlightened City’) before being simplified and shortened to its modern name, Madinah (lit. ‘The City’), from which the English-language spelling of «Medina» is derived. Saudi road signage uses Madinah and al-Madinah al-Munawwarah interchangeably.^[5]

The city existed for over 1,500 years before Muhammad’s migration from Mecca,^[6] known as the Hijrah. Medina was the capital of a rapidly-increasing Muslim caliphate under Muhammad’s leadership, serving as its base of operations and as the cradle of Islam, where Muhammad’s Ummah (lit. ‘[Muslim] Community’)—composed of Medinan citizens (Ansar) as well as those who immigrated with Muhammad (Muhajirun), who were collectively known as the Sahabah—gained huge influence. Medina is home to three prominent mosques, namely al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Masjid Qubaʽa, and Masjid al-Qiblatayn, with the Masjid Quba’a being the oldest in Islam. A larger portion of the Qur’an was revealed in Medina in contrast to the earlier Meccan surahs.^[7][8]

Much like most of the Hejaz, Medina has seen numerous exchanges of power within its comparatively short existence. The region has been controlled by Jewish-Arabian tribes (up until the 5th century CE), the ʽAws and Khazraj (up until Muhammad’s arrival), Muhammad and the Rashidun (622–660), the Umayyads (660–749), the Abbasids (749–1254), the Mamluks of Egypt (1254–1517), the Ottomans (1517–1805), the First Saudi State (1805–1811), Muhammad Ali Pasha (1811–1840), the Ottomans for a second time (1840–1918), the Sharifate of Mecca under the Hashemites (1918–1925) and finally is in the hands of the present-day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1925–present).^[5]

In addition to visiting for Ziyarah, tourists come to visit the other prominent mosques and landmarks in the city that hold religious significance such as Mount Uhud, Al-Baqiʽ cemetery and the Seven Mosques among others. Recently, after the Saudi conquest of Hejaz.

History[edit]

Medina is home to several distinguished sites and landmarks, most of which are mosques and hold historic significance. These include the three aforementioned mosques, Masjid al-Fath (also known as Masjid al-Khandaq), the Seven Mosques, the Baqi’ Cemetery where the graves of many famous Islamic figures are presumed to be located; directly to the southeast of the Prophet’s Mosque, the Uhud mountain, site of the eponymous Battle of Uhud and the King Fahd Glorious Qur’an Printing Complex where most modern Qur’anic Mus’hafs are printed.

Etymology[edit]

Yathrib[edit]

Before the advent of Islam, the city was known as Yathrib (Arabic: يَثْرِب, romanized: Yaṯrib; pronounced [ˈjaθrɪb]), supposedly named after an Amalekite king, Yathrib Mahlaeil.^[9][10] The word Yathrib appears in an inscription found in Harran, belonging to the Babylonian king Nabonidus (6th century BCE)^[11] and is well asserted in several texts in the subsequent centuries.^[12] The name has also been recorded in Āyah (verse) 13 of Surah (chapter) 33 of the Qur’an.^{[Quran 33:13]} and is thus known to have been the name of the city up to the Battle of the Trench. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad later forbade calling the city by this name.^[13]

Taybah and Tabah[edit]

Sometime after the battle, Muhammad renamed the city Taybah (the Kind or the Good) ([ˈtˤajba]; طَيْبَة)^[14] and Tabah (Arabic: طَابَة)^[15] which is of similar meaning. This name is also used to refer to the city in the popular folk song, «Ya Taybah!» (O Taybah!). The two names are combined in another name the city is known by, Taybat at-Tabah (the Kindest of the Kind).

Madinah[edit]

The city has also simply been called Al-Madinah (i.e. ‘The City’) in some ahadith^[15]. The names al-Madīnah an-Nabawiyyah (ٱلْمَدِيْنَة ٱلنَّبَوِيَّة) and Madīnat un-Nabī (both meaning «City of the Prophet» or «The Prophet’s City») and al-Madīnat ul-Munawwarah («The Enlightened City») are all derivatives of this word. This is also the most commonly accepted modern name of the city, used in official documents and road signage, along with Madinah.

Early history and Jewish control[edit]

Medina has been inhabited at least 1500 years before the Hijra, or approximately the 9th century BCE.^[6] By the fourth century CE, Arab tribes began to encroach from Yemen, and there were three prominent Jewish tribes that inhabited the city around the time of Muhammad: the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Qurayza, and Banu Nadir.^[16] Ibn Khordadbeh later reported that during the Persian Empire’s domination in Hejaz, the Banu Qurayza served as tax collectors for the Persian Shah.^[17]

The situation changed after the arrival of two new Arab tribes, the ‘Aws or Banu ‘Aws and the Khazraj, also known as the Banu Khazraj. At first, these tribes were allied with the Jewish tribes who ruled the region, but later revolted and became independent.^[18]

Under the ‘Aws and Khazraj[edit]

Toward the end of the 5th century,^[19] the Jewish rulers lost control of the city to the two Arab tribes. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that «by calling in outside assistance and treacherously massacring at a banquet the principal Jews», Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj finally gained the upper hand at Medina.^[16]

Most modern historians accept the claim of the Muslim sources that after the revolt, the Jewish tribes became clients of the ‘Aws and the Khazraj.^[20] However, according to Scottish scholar, William Montgomery Watt, the clientship of the Jewish tribes is not borne out by the historical accounts of the period prior to 627, and he maintained that the Jewish populace retained a measure of political independence.^[18]

Early Muslim chronicler Ibn Ishaq tells of an ancient conflict between the last Yemenite king of the Himyarite Kingdom^[21] and the residents of Yathrib. When the king was passing by the oasis, the residents killed his son, and the Yemenite ruler threatened to exterminate the people and cut down the palms. According to Ibn Ishaq, he was stopped from doing so by two rabbis from the Banu Qurayza tribe, who implored the king to spare the oasis because it was the place «to which a prophet of the Quraysh would migrate in time to come, and it would be his home and resting-place.» The Yemenite king thus did not destroy the town and converted to Judaism. He took the rabbis with him, and in Mecca, they reportedly recognized the Ka’bah as a temple built by Abraham and advised the king «to do what the people of Mecca did: to circumambulate the temple, to venerate and honor it, to shave his head and to behave with all humility until he had left its precincts.» On approaching Yemen, tells Ibn Ishaq, the rabbis demonstrated to the local people a miracle by coming out of a fire unscathed and the Yemenites accepted Judaism.^[22]

Eventually the Banu ‘Aws and the Banu Khazraj became hostile to each other and by the time of Muhammad’s Hijrah (emigration) to Medina in 622, they had been fighting for 120 years and were sworn enemies^[23] The Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza were allied with the ‘Aws, while the Banu Qaynuqa sided with the Khazraj.^[24] They fought a total of four wars.^[18]

Their last and bloodiest known battle was the Battle of Bu’ath,^[18] fought a few years prior to the arrival of Muhammad.^[16] The outcome of the battle was inconclusive, and the feud continued. ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, one Khazraj chief, had refused to take part in the battle, which earned him a reputation for equity and peacefulness. He was the most respected inhabitant of the city prior to Muhammad’s arrival. To solve the ongoing feud, concerned residents of Yathrib met secretly with Muhammad in ‘Aqaba, a place outside Mecca, inviting him and his small group of believers to come to the city, where Muhammad could serve a mediator between the factions and his community could practice its faith freely.

Under Muhammad and the Rashidun[edit]

In 622, Muhammad and an estimated 70 Meccan Muhajirun left Mecca over a period of a few months for sanctuary in Yathrib, an event that transformed the religious and political landscape of the city completely; the longstanding enmity between the Aus and Khazraj tribes was dampened as many of the two Arab tribes and some local Jews embraced the new religion of Islam. Muhammad, linked to the Khazraj through his great-grandmother, was agreed on as the leader of the city. The natives of Yathrib who had converted to Islam of any background—pagan Arab or Jewish—were called the Ansar («the Patrons» or «the Helpers»), while the Muslims would pay the Zakat tax.

According to Ibn Ishaq, all parties in the area agreed to the Constitution of Medina, which committed all parties to mutual cooperation under the leadership of Muhammad. The nature of this document as recorded by Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by Ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern Western historians, many of whom maintain that this «treaty» is possibly a collage of different agreements, oral rather than written, of different dates, and that it is not clear exactly when they were made. Other scholars, however, both Western and Muslim, argue that the text of the agreement—whether a single document originally or several—is possibly one of the oldest Islamic texts we possess.^[25] In Yemenite Jewish sources, another treaty was drafted between Muhammad and his Jewish subjects, known as Kitāb Dimmat al-Nabi, written in the 3rd year of the Hijra (625), and which gave express liberty to Jews living in Arabia to observe the Sabbath and to grow-out their side-locks. In return, they were to pay the jizya annually for protection by their patrons.^[26][5]

Battle of Uhud[edit]

In the year 625, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, a senior chieftain of Mecca who later converted to Islam, led a Meccan force against Medina. Muhammad marched out to meet the Qurayshi army with an estimated 1,000 troops, but just as the army approached the battlefield, 300 men under ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy withdrew, dealing a severe blow to the Muslim army’s morale. Muhammad continued marching with his now 700-strong force and ordered a group of 50 archers to climb a small hill, now called Jabal ar-Rummaah (The Archers’ Hill) to keep an eye on the Meccan’s cavalry and to provide protection to the rear of the Muslim’s army. As the battle heated up, the Meccans were forced to retreat. The frontline was pushed further and further away from the archers and foreseeing the battle to be a victory for the Muslims, the archers decided to leave their posts to pursue the retreating Meccans. A small party, however, stayed behind; pleading the rest to not disobey Muhammad’s orders.

Seeing that the archers were starting to descend from the hill, Khalid ibn al-Walid commanded his unit to ambush the hill and his cavalry unit pursued the descending archers were systematically slain by being caught in the plain ahead of the hill and the frontline, watched upon by their desperate comrades who stayed behind up in the hill who were shooting arrows to thwart the raiders, but with little to no effect. However, the Meccans did not capitalize on their advantage by invading Medina and returned to Mecca. The Madanis (people of Medina) suffered heavy losses, and Muhammad was injured.^[28]

Battle of the Trench[edit]

In 627, Abu Sufyan led another force toward Medina. Knowing of his intentions, Muhammad asked for proposals for defending the northern flank of the city, as the east and west were protected by volcanic rocks and the south was covered with palm trees. Salman al-Farsi, a Persian Sahabi who was familiar with Sasanian war tactics recommended digging a trench to protect the city and Muhammad accepted it. The subsequent siege came to be known as the Battle of the Trench and the Battle of the Confederates. After a month-long siege and various skirmishes, the Meccans withdrew again due to the harsh winter.

During the siege, Abu Sufyan contacted the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza and formed an agreement with them, to attack the Muslim defenders and effectively encircle the defenders. It was however discovered by the Muslims and thwarted. This was in breach of the Constitution of Medina and after the Meccan withdrawal, Muhammad immediately marched against the Qurayza and laid siege to their strongholds. The Jewish forces eventually surrendered. Some members of the Aws negotiated on behalf of their old allies and Muhammad agreed to appoint one of their chiefs who had converted to Islam, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, as judge. Sa’ad judged by Jewish law that all male members of the tribe should be killed and the women and children enslaved as was the law stated in the Old Testament for treason in the Book of Deutoronomy.^[29] This action was conceived of as a defensive measure to ensure that the Muslim community could be confident of its continued survival in Medina. The French historian Robert Mantran proposes that from this point of view it was successful—from this point on, the Muslims were no longer primarily concerned with survival but with expansion and conquest.^[29]

In the ten years following the hijra, Medina formed the base from which Muhammad and the Muslim army attacked and were attacked, and it was from here that he marched on Mecca, entering it without battle in 630. Despite Muhammad’s tribal connection to Mecca, the growing importance of Mecca in Islam, the significance of the Ka’bah as the center of the Islamic world, as the direction of prayer (Qibla), and in the Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj), Muhammad returned to Medina, which remained for some years the most important city of Islam and the base of operations of the early Rashidun Caliphate.^[5]

The city is presumed to have been renamed Madinat al-Nabi («City of the Prophet» in Arabic) in honor of Muhammad’s prophethood and the city being the site of his burial. Alternatively, Lucien Gubbay suggests the name Medina could also have been a derivative from the Aramaic word Medinta, which the Jewish inhabitants could have used for the city.^[30]

Under the first three caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, Medina was the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire. During the reign of ‘Uthman ibn al-Affan, the third caliph, a party of Arabs from Egypt, disgruntled at some of his political decisions, attacked Medina in 656 and assassinated him in his own home. Ali, the fourth caliph, changed the capital of the caliphate from Medina to Kufa in Iraq for being in a more strategic location. Since then, Medina’s importance dwindled, becoming more a place of religious importance than of political power. Medina witnessed little to no economic growth during and after Ali’s reign.^[5]

Under subsequent Islamic regimes[edit]

Umayyad Caliphate[edit]

After al-Hasan, the son of ‘Ali, ceded power to Mu’awiyah I, son of Abu Sufyan, Mu’awiyah marched into Kufa, Ali’s capital, and received the allegiance of the local ‘Iraqis. This is considered to be the beginning of the Umayyad caliphate. Mu’awiyah’s governors took special care of Medina and dug the ‘Ayn az-Zarqa’a («Blue Spring») spring along with a project that included the creation of underground ducts for the purposes of irrigation. Dams were built in some of the wadis and the subsequent agricultural boom led to the strengthening of the economy.

Following a period of unrest during the Second Fitna in 679, Husayn ibn ‘Ali was martyred at Karbala and Yazid assumed unchecked control for the next three years. In 682, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr declared himself Caliph of Mecca and the people of Medina swore allegiance to him. This led to an eight-year-long period of economic distress for the city. In 692, the Umayyads regained power and Medina experienced its second period of huge economic growth. Trade improved and more people moved into the city. The banks of Wadi al-‘Aqiq were now lush with greenery. This period of peace and prosperity coincided with the rule of ‘Umar ibn Abdulaziz, who many consider to be the fifth of the Rashidun.^[5]

Abbasid Caliphate[edit]

Abdulbasit A. Badr, in his book, Madinah, The Enlightened City: History and Landmarks, divides this period into three distinct phases:^[5]

Badr describes the period between 749 and 974 as a push-and-pull between peace and political turmoil, while Medina continued to pay allegiance to the Abbasids. From 974 to 1151, Medina was in a liaison with the Fatimids, even though the political stand between the two remained turbulent and did not exceed the normal allegiance. From 1151 onwards, Medina paid allegiance to the Zengids, and the Emir Nuruddin Zangi took care of the roads used by pilgrims and funded the fixing of the water sources and streets. When he visited Medina in 1162, he ordered the construction of a new wall that encompassed the new urban areas outside the old city wall. Zangi was succeeded by Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, who supported Qasim ibn Muhanna, the Governor of Medina, and greatly funded the growth of the city while slashing taxes paid by the pilgrims.^[5] He also funded the Bedouins who lived on the routes used by pilgrims to protect them on their journeys. The later Abbasids also continued to fund the expenses of the city. While Medina was formally allied with the Abbasids during this period, they maintained closer relations with the Zengids and Ayyubids. The historic city formed an oval, surrounded by a strong wall, 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12.2 m) high, dating from this period, and was flanked with towers. Of its four gates, the Bab al-Salam («The Gate of Peace»), was remarked for its beauty. Beyond the walls of the city, the west and south were suburbs consisting of low houses, yards, gardens and plantations.^[5]

Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo[edit]

After a brutal long conflict with the Abbasids, the Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo took over the Egyptian governorate and effectively gained control of Medina.^[5] In 1256, Medina was threatened by lava from the Harrat Rahat volcanic region but was narrowly saved from being burnt after the lava turned northward.^[5][31][32] During Mamluk reign, the Masjid an-Nabawi caught fire twice. Once in 1256, when the storage caught fire, burning the entire mosque, and the other time in 1481, when the masjid was struck by lightning. This period also coincided with an increase in scholarly activity in Medina, with scholars such as Ibn Farhun, Al-Hafiz Zain al-Din al-‘Iraqi, Al Sakhawi and others settling in the city.^[5] The striking iconic Green Dome also found its beginnings as a cupola built under Mamluk Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun as-Salihi in 1297.^[5]

Ottoman rule[edit]

First Ottoman period[edit]

In 1517, the first Ottoman period began with Selim I’s conquest of Mamluk Egypt. This added Medina to their territory and they continued the tradition of showering Medina with money and aid. In 1532, Suleiman the Magnificent built a secure fortress around the city and constructed a strong castle armed by an Ottoman battalion to protect the city. This is also the period in which many of the Prophet’s Mosque’s modern features were built even though it wasn’t painted green yet.^[33] These suburbs also had walls and gates. The Ottoman sultans took a keen interest in the Prophet’s Mosque and redesigned it over and over to suit their preferences.

First Saudi insurgency[edit]

As the Ottomans’ hold over their domains broke loose, the Madanis pledged alliance to Saud bin Abdulaziz, founder of the First Saudi state in 1805, who quickly took over the city. In 1811, Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ottoman commander and Wali of Egypt, commanded two armies under each of his two sons to seize Medina, the first one, under the elder Towson Pasha, failed to take Medina. But the second one, a larger army under the command of Ibrahim Pasha, succeeded after battling a fierce resistance movement.^[5]

Muhammad Ali Pasha’s era[edit]

After defeating his Saudi foes, Muhammad Ali Pasha took over governance of Medina and although he did not formally declare independence, his governance took on more of a semi-autonomous style. Muhammad’s sons, Towson and Ibrahim, alternated in the governance of the city. Ibrahim renovated the city’s walls and the Prophet’s Mosque. He established a grand provision distribution center (taqiyya) to distribute food and alms to the needy and Medina lived a period of security and peace.^{[citation needed]} In 1840, Muhammad moved his troops out of the city and officially handed the city to the central Ottoman command.^[5]

Second Ottoman period[edit]

Four years in 1844, after Muhammad Ali Pasha’s departure, Davud Pasha was given the position of governor of Medina under the Ottoman sultan. Davud was responsible for renovating the Prophet’s Mosque on Sultan Abdulmejid I’s orders. When Abdul Hamid II assumed power, he made Medina stand out of the desert with a number of modern marvels, including a radio communication station, a power plant for the Prophet’s Mosque and its immediate vicinity, a telegraph line between Medina and Constantinople, and the Hejaz railway which ran from Damascus to Medina with a planned extension to Mecca. Within one decade, the population of the city multiplied by leaps and bounds and reached 80,000. Around this time, Medina started falling prey to a new threat, the Hashemite Sharifate of Mecca in the south. Medina witnessed the longest siege in its history during and after World War I.^[5]

Modern history[edit]

Sharifate of Mecca and Saudi conquest[edit]

The Sharif of Mecca, Husayn ibn Ali, first attacked Medina on 6 June 1916, in the middle of World War I.^[5] Four days later, Husayn held Medina in a bitter 3-year siege, during which the people faced food shortages, widespread disease and mass emigration.^[5] Fakhri Pasha, governor of Medina, tenaciously held on during the Siege of Medina from 10 June 1916 and refused to surrender and held on another 72 days after the Armistice of Moudros, until he was arrested by his own men and the city was taken over by the Sharifate on 10 January 1919.^[5][34] Husayn largely won the war due to his alliance with the British. In anticipation of the plunder and destruction to follow, Fakhri Pasha secretly dispatched the Sacred Relics of Muhammad to the Ottoman capital, Istanbul.^[35] As of 1920, the British described Medina as «much more self-supporting than Mecca.»^[36] After the Great War, the Sharif of Mecca, Sayyid Hussein bin Ali was proclaimed King of an independent Hejaz. Soon after, the people of Medina secretly entered an agreement with Ibn Saud in 1924, and his son, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz conquered Medina as part of the Saudi conquest of Hejaz on 5 December 1925 which gave way to the whole of the Hejaz being incorporated into the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.^[5]

Under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia[edit]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia focused more on the expansion of the city and the demolition of former sites that violated Islamic principles and Islamic law such as the tombs at al-Baqi. Nowadays, the city mostly only holds religious significance and as such, just like Mecca, has given rise to a number of hotels surrounding the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, which unlike the Masjid Al-Ḥarām, is equipped with an underground parking. The old city’s walls have been destroyed and replaced with the three ring roads that encircle Medina today, named in order of length, King Faisal Road, King Abdullah Road and King Khalid Road. Medina’s ring roads generally see less traffic overall compared to the four ring roads of Mecca.

An international airport, named the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, now serves the city and is located on Highway 340, known locally as the Old Qassim Road. The city now sits at the crossroads of two major Saudi Arabian highways, Highway 60, known as the Qassim–Medina Highway, and Highway 15 which connects the city to Mecca in the south and onward and Tabuk in the north and onward, known as the Al Hijrah Highway or Al Hijrah Road, after Muhammad’s journey.

The old Ottoman railway system was shutdown after their departure from the region and the old railway station has now been converted into a museum. The city has recently seen another connection and mode of transport between it and Mecca, the Haramain high-speed railway line connects the two cities via King Abdullah Economic City near Rabigh, King Abdulaziz International Airport and the city of Jeddah in under 3 hours.

Though the city’s sacred core of the old city is off limits to non-Muslims, the Haram area of Medina itself is much smaller than that of Mecca and Medina has recently seen an increase in the number of Muslim and Non-Muslim expatriate workers of other nationalities, most commonly South Asian peoples and people from other countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Almost all of the historic city has been demolished in the Saudi era. The rebuilt city is centered on the vastly expanded al-Masjid an-Nabawi.

Destruction of heritage in Medina[edit]

Saudi Arabia 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 consequence, under Saudi rule, Medina has suffered from considerable destruction of its physical heritage including the loss of many buildings over a thousand years old.^[37] Critics have described this as «Saudi vandalism» and claim that 300 historic sites linked to Muhammad, his family or companions have been lost in Medina and Mecca over the last 50 years.^[38] The most famous example of this is the demolition of al-Baqi.

Geography[edit]

Medina is located in the Hejaz region which is a 200 km (124 mi) wide strip between the Nafud desert and the Red Sea.^[5] Located approximately 720 km (447 mi) northwest of Riyadh which is at the center of the Saudi desert, the city is 250 km (155 mi) away from the west coast of Saudi Arabia and at an elevation of approximately 620 m (2,030 ft) above sea level. It lies at 39º36′ longitude east and 24º28′ latitude north. It covers an area of about 589 km² (227 sq mi). The city has been divided into twelve districts, 7 of which have been categorized as urban districts, while the other 5 have been categorized as suburban.

Elevation[edit]

Like most cities in the Hejaz region, Medina is situated at a very high elevation. Almost three times as high as Mecca, the city is situated at 620 m (2,030 ft) above sea level. Mount Uhud is the highest peak in Medina and is 1,077 meters (3,533 feet) tall.

Topography[edit]

Medina is a desert oasis surrounded by the Hejaz Mountains and volcanic hills. The soil surrounding Medina consists of mostly basalt, while the hills, especially noticeable to the south of the city, are volcanic ash which dates to the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era. It is surrounded by a number of famous mountains, most notably Jabal Al-Hujjaj (The Pilgrims’ Mountain) to the west, Sal’aa Mountain to the north-west, Jabal al-‘Ir or Caravan Mountain to the south and Mount Uhud to the north. The city is situated on a flat mountain plateau at the tripoint of the three valleys (wadis) of Wadi al ‘Aql, Wadi al ‘Aqiq, and Wadi al Himdh, for this reason, there are large green areas amidst a dry deserted mountainous region.^[5]

Climate[edit]

Under the Köppen climate classification, Medina falls in a hot desert climate region (BWh). Summers are extremely hot and dry with daytime temperatures averaging about 43 °C (109 °F) with nights about 29 °C (84 °F). Temperatures above 45 °C (113 °F) are not unusual between June and September. Winters are milder, with temperatures from 12 °C (54 °F) at night to 25 °C (77 °F) in the day. There is very little rainfall, which falls almost entirely between November and May. In summer, the wind is north-western, while in the spring and winters, is south-western.

Significance in Islam[edit]

Medina’s importance as a religious site derives from the presence of two mosques, Masjid Quba’a and al-Masjid an-Nabawi. Both of these mosques were built by Muhammad himself. Islamic scriptures emphasize the sacredness of Medina. Medina is mentioned several times in the Quran, two examples are Surah At-Tawbah. verse 101 and Al-Hashr. verse 8. Medinan suras are typically longer than their Meccan counterparts and they are also larger in number. Muhammad al-Bukhari recorded in Sahih Bukhari that Anas ibn Malik quoted Muhammad as saying:

«Medina is a sanctuary from that place to that. Its trees should not be cut and no heresy should be innovated nor any sin should be committed in it, and whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits sins (bad deeds), then he will incur the curse of God, the angels, and all the people.»

The Prophet’s Mosque (al-Masjid an-Nabawi)[edit]

According to Islamic tradition, a prayer in The Prophet’s Mosque equates to 1,000 prayers in any other mosque except the Masjid al-Haram^[40] where one prayer equates to 100,000 prayers in any other mosque.^[40] The mosque was initially just an open space for prayer with a raised and covered minbar (pulpit) built within seven months and was located beside Muhammad’s rawdhah (residence, although the word literally means garden) to its side along with the houses of his wives. The mosque was expanded several times throughout history, with many of its internal features developed over time to suit contemporary standards.

The modern Prophet’s Mosque is famed for the Green Dome situated directly above Muhammad’s rawdhah, which currently serves as the burial site for Muhammad, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab and is used in road signage along with its signature minaret as an icon for Medina itself. The entire piazza of the mosque is shaded from the sun by 250 membrane umbrellas.

Quba’a Mosque[edit]

It is Sunnah to perform prayer at the Quba’a Mosque. According to a hadith, Sahl ibn Hunayf reported that Muhammad said,

«Whoever purifies himself in his house, then comes to the mosque of Quba’ and prays in it, he will have a reward like the Umrah pilgrimage.»^[13][40]

and in another narration,

«Whoever goes out until he comes to this mosque – meaning the Mosque of Quba’ – and prays there, that will be equivalent to ‘Umrah.»^[13]

It has been recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim that Muhammad used to go to Quba’a every Saturday to offer two rak’ahs of Sunnah prayer. The mosque at Quba’a was built by Muhammad himself upon his arrival to the old city of Medina. Quba’a and the mosque has been referred in the Qur’an indirectly in Surah At-Tawbah, verse 108.

Other sites[edit]

Masjid al-Qiblatayn[edit]

Masjid al-Qiblatayn is another mosque historically important to Muslims. Muslims believe that Muhammad was commanded to change his direction of prayer (qibla) from praying toward Jerusalem to praying toward the Ka’bah at Mecca, as he was commanded in Surah Al-Baqarah, verses 143 and 144.^[41] The mosque is currently being expanded to be able to hold more than 4,000 worshippers.^[42]

Masjid al-Fath and the Seven Mosques[edit]

Three of these historic six mosques were combined recently into the larger Masjid al-Fath with an open courtyard.^[5] Sunni sources claim that there is no hadith or any other evidence to prove that Muhammad may have said something about the virtue of these mosques.

Al-Baqi’ Cemetery[edit]

Al-Baqi’ is a significant cemetery in Medina where several family members of Muhammad, caliphs and scholars are known to have been buried.^[5]

In Islamic eschatology[edit]

End of civilization[edit]

Concerning the end of civilization in Medina, Abu Hurairah is recorded to have said that Muhammad said:^[43]

«The people will leave Medina in spite of the best state it will have, and none except the wild birds and the beasts of prey will live in it, and the last persons who will die will be two shepherds from the tribe of Muzaina, who will be driving their sheep towards Medina, but will find nobody in it, and when they reach the valley of Thaniyat-al-Wada’h, they will fall down on their faces dead.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 98)

Sufyan ibn Abu Zuhair said Muhammad said:^[43]

«Yemen will be conquered and some people will migrate (from Medina) and will urge their families, and those who will obey them to migrate (to Yemen) although Medina will be better for them; if they but knew. Sham will also be conquered and some people will migrate (from Medina) and will urge their families and those who will obey them, to migrate (to Sham) although Medina will be better for them; if they but knew. ‘Iraq will be conquered and some people will migrate (from Medina) and will urge their families and those who will obey them to migrate (to ‘Iraq) although Medina will be better for them; if they but knew.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 99)

Protection from plague and ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah)[edit]

With regards to Medina’s protection from plague and ad-Dajjal, the following ahadith were recorded:

by Abu Bakra:^[43]

«The terror caused by Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal will not enter Medina and at that time Medina will have seven gates and there will be two angels at each gate guarding them.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 103)

by Abu Hurairah:

«There are angels guarding the entrances (or roads) of Medina, neither plague nor Ad-Dajjal will be able to enter it.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 104)

Demographics[edit]

As of 2018, the recorded population was 2,188,138,^[44] with a growth rate of 2.32%.^[45] Being a destination of Muslims from around the world, Medina witnesses illegal immigration after performing Hajj or Umrah, despite the strict rules the government has enforced. However, the Central Hajj Commissioner Prince Khalid bin Faisal stated that the numbers of illegal staying visitors dropped by 29% in 2018.^[46]

Religion[edit]

As with most cities in Saudi Arabia, Islam is the religion followed by the majority of the population of Medina.

Sunnis of different schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali) constitute the majority, while there is a significant Shia minority in and around Medina, such as the Nakhawila. Outside the haram, there are significant numbers of Non-Muslim migrant workers and expats.

Culture[edit]

Similar to that of Mecca, Medina exhibits a cross-cultural environment, a city where people of many nationalities and cultures live together and interact with each other on a daily basis. This only helps the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran. Established in 1985, the biggest publisher of Quran in the world, it employs around 1100 people and publishes 361 different publications in many languages. It is reported that more than 400,000 people from around the world visit the complex every year.^[47][48] Every visitor is gifted a free copy of the Qur’an at the end of a tour of the facility.^[48]

Museums and arts[edit]

The Al Madinah Museum has several exhibits concerning the cultural and historical heritage of the city featuring different archeological collections, visual galleries and rare images of the old city.^[49] It also includes the Hejaz Railway Museum. The Dar Al Madinah Museum opened in 2011 and it uncovers the history of Medina specializing in the architectural and urban heritage of the city.^[50] There is no archeology or architecture from the time of Mohammed, except what remains of a few stone defensive towers^[51] The Holy Qur’an Exhibition houses rare manuscripts of the Quran, along with other exhibitions that encircle the Masjid an-Nabawi.^[52]

The Madinah Arts Center, founded in 2018 and operated by the MMDA’s Cultural Wing, focuses on modern and contemporary arts. The center aims to enhance arts and enrich the artistic and cultural movement of society, empowering artists of all groups and ages. As of February 2020, before the implementation of social distancing measures and curfews, it held more than 13 group and solo art galleries, along with weekly workshops and discussions. The center is located in King Fahd Park, close to Quba Mosque on an area of 8,200 square meters (88,264 square feet)^[53]

In 2018, the MMDA launched Madinah Forum of Arabic Calligraphy, an annual forum to celebrate Arabic calligraphy and renowned Arabic calligraphers. The event includes discussions about Arabic Calligraphy, and a gallery to show the work of 50 Arabic calligraphers from 10 countries.^[54] The Dar al-Qalam Center for Arabic Calligraphy is located to the northwest of the Masjid an-Nabawi, just across the Hejaz Railway Museum. In April 2020, it was announced that the center was renamed the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Center for Arabic Calligraphy, and upgraded to an international hub for Arabic Calligraphers, in conjunction with the «Year of Arabic Calligraphy» event organized by the Ministry of Culture during the years 2020 and 2021.^[55]

Other projects launched by the MMDA Cultural Wing include the Madinah Forum of Live Sculpture held at Quba Square, with 16 sculptors from 11 countries. The forum aimed to celebrate sculpture as it is an ancient art, and to attract young artists to this form of art.^[56]

Economy[edit]

Historically, Medina’s economy was dependent on the sale of dates and other agricultural activities. As of 1920, 139 varieties of dates were being grown in the area, along with other vegetables.^[57] Religious tourism plays a major part in Medina’s economy, being the second holiest city in Islam, and holding many historical Islamic locations, it attracts more than 7 million annual visitors who come to perform Hajj during the Hajj season, and Umrah throughout the year.^[58]

Medina has two industrial areas, the larger one was established in 2003 with a total area of 10,000,000 m², and managed by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON). It is located 50 km from Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, and 200 km from Yanbu Commercial Port, and has 236 factories, which produce petroleum products, building materials, food products, and many other products.^[59] The Knowledge Economic City (KEC) is a Saudi Arabian joint stock company founded in 2010. It focuses on real estate development and knowledge-based industries.^[60] The project is under development and is expected to highly increase the number of jobs in Medina by its completion.^[61]

Human resources[edit]

Education and scholarly activity[edit]

Primary and secondary education[edit]

The Ministry of Education is the governing body of education in the al-Madinah Province and it operates 724 and 773 public schools for boys and girls respectively throughout the province.^[62] Taibah High School is one of the most notable schools in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1942, it was the second-largest school in the country at that time. Saudi ministers and government officials have graduated from this high school.^[63]

Higher education and research[edit]

Taibah University is a public university providing higher education for the residents of the province, it has 28 colleges, of which 16 are in Medina. It offers 89 academic programs and has a strength of 69210 students as of 2020.^[64] The Islamic University, established in 1961, is the oldest higher education institution in the region, with around 22000 students enrolled. It offers majors in Sharia, Qur’an, Usul ad-Din, Hadith, and the Arabic language.^[65] The university offers Bachelor of Arts degrees and also Master’s and Doctorate degrees.^[66] The admission is open to Muslims based on scholarships programs that provide accommodation and living expenses. In 2012, the university expanded its programs by establishing the College of Science, which offers Engineering and Computer science majors.^[67] Al Madinah College of Technology, which is governed by TVTC, offers a variety of degree programs including Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Computer Sciences and Electronic Sciences.^{[circular reference]} Private universities at Medina include University of Prince Muqrin, the Arab Open University, and Al Rayyan Colleges.

Transport[edit]

Air[edit]

Medina is served by the Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport located off Highway 340. It handles domestic flights, while it has scheduled international services to regional destinations in the Middle East. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Saudi Arabia, handling 8,144,790 passengers in 2018.^[68] The airport project was announced as the world’s best by Engineering News-Record’s 3rd Annual Global Best Projects Competition held on 10 September 2015.^[69][70] The airport also received the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certificate in the MENA region.^[71] The airport receives higher numbers of passengers during the Hajj.

Roads[edit]

In 2015, the MMDA announced Darb as-Sunnah (Sunnah Path) Project, which aims to develop and transform the 3 km (2 mi) Quba’a Road connecting the Quba’a Mosque to the al-Masjid an-Nabawi to an avenue, paving the whole road for pedestrians and providing service facilities to the visitors. The project also aims to revive the Sunnah where Muhammed used to walk from his house (al-Masjid an-Nabawi) to Quba’a every Saturday afternoon.^[72]

The city of Medina lies at the junction of two of the most important Saudi highways, Highway 60 and Highway 15. Highway 15 connects Medina to Mecca in the south and onward and Tabuk and Jordan in the north. Highway 60 connects the city with Yanbu, a port city on the Red Sea in the west and Al Qassim in the east. The city is served by three ring roads: King Faisal Road, a 5 km ring road that surrounds Al-Masjid an-Nabawi and the downtown area, King Abdullah Road, a 27 km road that surrounds most of urban Medina and King Khalid Road is the biggest ring road that surrounds the whole city and some rural areas with 60 km of roads.

Bus and rapid transit[edit]

The bus transport system in Medina was established in 2012 by the MMDA and is operated by SAPTCO. The newly established bus system includes 10 lines connecting different regions of the city to Masjid an-Nabawi and the downtown area, and serves around 20,000 passengers on a daily basis.^[73][74] In 2017, the MMDA launched the Madinah Sightseeing Bus service. Open top buses take passengers on sightseeing trips throughout the day with two lines and 11 destinations, including Masjid an-Nabawi, Quba’a Mosque and Masjid al-Qiblatayn and offers audio tour guidance with 8 different languages.^[75] By the end of 2019, the MMDA announced its plan to expand the bus network with 15 BRT lines. The project was set to be done in 2023.^[76] In 2015, the MMDA announced a three-line metro project in extension to the public transportation master plan in Medina.^[77]

Rail[edit]

The historic Ottoman railways were shut down and the railway stations, including the one in Medina, were converted into museums by the Saudi government. The Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR) came into operation in 2018, linking Medina and Mecca, and passes through three stations: Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz International Airport, and King Abdullah Economic City.^[78] It runs along 444 kilometers (276 miles) with a speed of 300 km/h, and has an annual capacity of 60 million passengers.^[79]

Further reading[edit]

• Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (2011). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet ‌‍ﷺ. Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. ISBN 978-603-50011-0-6
• Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (2004). The History of Madinah Munawwarah. Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. ISBN 978-996-08921-1-5
• Badr, Abdulbasit A. (2013). Madinah, The Enlightened City: History and Landmarks. Medina: Al-Madinah Al Munawwarah Research & Studies Center. ISBN 978-603-90414-7-4

See also[edit]

• Bibliography of the history of Medina
• Funky Cold Medina

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Medina المدينة The Prophet’s City مدينة النبي The Prophetic City المدينة النبوية The Pure طيبة The Purest of Pure طيبة الطيبة
City
Al Madinat Al Munawwarah المدينة المنورة
From top, left to right: Al-Masjid an-Nabawi interior, Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Medina skyline from Jannat al-Baqīʿ, Mount Uhud, Exterior entrance of Masjid an-Nabawi, Mosque of the Prophet Skyline at Night.
Medina Location of Medina Medina Medina (Asia)
Coordinates: 24°28′12″N 39°36′36″E / 24.47000°N 39.61000°E
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Medina Province
First settled	9th century BCE
Hijrah	622 CE (1 AH)
Saudi conquest of Hejaz	5 December 1925
Named for	Muhammad
Districts	Urban Al Haram Quba’a Uhud Al ‘Awali Al ‘Uqaiq Al ‘Uyoon Al Baidaa’ Suburban Al ‘Aqul Al Mulayleeh Al Mandasah Abyar Al Mashi Al Fareesh
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Madinah Regional Municipality
• Mayor	Fahad Al-Belaihshi[1]
• Provincial Governor	Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud
Area
• City	589 km2 (227 sq mi)
• Urban	293 km2 (117 sq mi)
• Rural	296 km2 (114 sq mi)
Elevation	620 m (2,030 ft)
Highest elevation (Mount Uhud)	1,077 m (3,533 ft)
Population  (2010)
• City	1,183,205
• Rank	4th
• Density	2,009/km2 (5,212/sq mi)
• Urban	785,204
• Urban density	2,680/km2 (6,949/sq mi)
• Rural	398,001
Demonym(s)	Madani مدني
Time zone	UTC+03:00 (SAST)
Website	amana-md.gov.sa/En/

Medina,^[a] officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (Arabic: المدينة المنورة, romanized: al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, lit. ‘The Enlightened City’, Hejazi pronunciation: [almadiːna almʊnawːara], and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (المدينة, al-Madina, Hejazi pronunciation: [almadiːna]), is the second-holiest city in Islam and the capital of Medina Province in Saudi Arabia. As of 2020, the estimated population of the city is 1,488,782,^[2] making it the fourth-most populous city in the country.^[3] Located at the core of the Medina Province in the western reaches of the country, the city is distributed over 589 km² (227 sq mi), of which 293 km² (113 sq mi) constitutes the city’s urban area, while the rest is occupied by the Hejaz Mountains, empty valleys, agricultural spaces and older dormant volcanoes.

Medina is generally considered to be the «cradle of Islamic culture and civilization».^[4] The city is considered to be the second-holiest of three key cities in Islamic tradition, with Mecca and Jerusalem serving as the holiest and third-holiest cities respectively. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (lit. ‘The Prophet’s Mosque’) is of exceptional importance in Islam and serves as burial site of the last Islamic prophet, Muhammad, by whom the mosque was built in 622 CE. Observant Muslims usually visit his tomb, or rawdhah, at least once in their lifetime during a pilgrimage known as Ziyarat, although this is not obligatory.^[5] The original name of the city before the advent of Islam was Yathrib (Hebrew: יתריב; Arabic: يَثْرِب), and it is referred to by this name in Chapter 33 (Al-Aḥzāb, lit. ‘The Confederates’) of the Quran. It was renamed to Madīnat an-Nabī (lit. ‘City of the Prophet’ or ‘The Prophet’s City’) after Muhammad’s death and later to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (lit. ‘The Enlightened City’) before being simplified and shortened to its modern name, Madinah (lit. ‘The City’), from which the English-language spelling of «Medina» is derived. Saudi road signage uses Madinah and al-Madinah al-Munawwarah interchangeably.^[5]

The city existed for over 1,500 years before Muhammad’s migration from Mecca,^[6] known as the Hijrah. Medina was the capital of a rapidly-increasing Muslim caliphate under Muhammad’s leadership, serving as its base of operations and as the cradle of Islam, where Muhammad’s Ummah (lit. ‘[Muslim] Community’)—composed of Medinan citizens (Ansar) as well as those who immigrated with Muhammad (Muhajirun), who were collectively known as the Sahabah—gained huge influence. Medina is home to three prominent mosques, namely al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Masjid Qubaʽa, and Masjid al-Qiblatayn, with the Masjid Quba’a being the oldest in Islam. A larger portion of the Qur’an was revealed in Medina in contrast to the earlier Meccan surahs.^[7][8]

Much like most of the Hejaz, Medina has seen numerous exchanges of power within its comparatively short existence. The region has been controlled by Jewish-Arabian tribes (up until the 5th century CE), the ʽAws and Khazraj (up until Muhammad’s arrival), Muhammad and the Rashidun (622–660), the Umayyads (660–749), the Abbasids (749–1254), the Mamluks of Egypt (1254–1517), the Ottomans (1517–1805), the First Saudi State (1805–1811), Muhammad Ali Pasha (1811–1840), the Ottomans for a second time (1840–1918), the Sharifate of Mecca under the Hashemites (1918–1925) and finally is in the hands of the present-day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1925–present).^[5]

In addition to visiting for Ziyarah, tourists come to visit the other prominent mosques and landmarks in the city that hold religious significance such as Mount Uhud, Al-Baqiʽ cemetery and the Seven Mosques among others. Recently, after the Saudi conquest of Hejaz.

History[edit]

Medina is home to several distinguished sites and landmarks, most of which are mosques and hold historic significance. These include the three aforementioned mosques, Masjid al-Fath (also known as Masjid al-Khandaq), the Seven Mosques, the Baqi’ Cemetery where the graves of many famous Islamic figures are presumed to be located; directly to the southeast of the Prophet’s Mosque, the Uhud mountain, site of the eponymous Battle of Uhud and the King Fahd Glorious Qur’an Printing Complex where most modern Qur’anic Mus’hafs are printed.

Etymology[edit]

Yathrib[edit]

Before the advent of Islam, the city was known as Yathrib (Arabic: يَثْرِب, romanized: Yaṯrib; pronounced [ˈjaθrɪb]), supposedly named after an Amalekite king, Yathrib Mahlaeil.^[9][10] The word Yathrib appears in an inscription found in Harran, belonging to the Babylonian king Nabonidus (6th century BCE)^[11] and is well asserted in several texts in the subsequent centuries.^[12] The name has also been recorded in Āyah (verse) 13 of Surah (chapter) 33 of the Qur’an.^{[Quran 33:13]} and is thus known to have been the name of the city up to the Battle of the Trench. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad later forbade calling the city by this name.^[13]

Taybah and Tabah[edit]

Sometime after the battle, Muhammad renamed the city Taybah (the Kind or the Good) ([ˈtˤajba]; طَيْبَة)^[14] and Tabah (Arabic: طَابَة)^[15] which is of similar meaning. This name is also used to refer to the city in the popular folk song, «Ya Taybah!» (O Taybah!). The two names are combined in another name the city is known by, Taybat at-Tabah (the Kindest of the Kind).

Madinah[edit]

The city has also simply been called Al-Madinah (i.e. ‘The City’) in some ahadith^[15]. The names al-Madīnah an-Nabawiyyah (ٱلْمَدِيْنَة ٱلنَّبَوِيَّة) and Madīnat un-Nabī (both meaning «City of the Prophet» or «The Prophet’s City») and al-Madīnat ul-Munawwarah («The Enlightened City») are all derivatives of this word. This is also the most commonly accepted modern name of the city, used in official documents and road signage, along with Madinah.

Early history and Jewish control[edit]

Medina has been inhabited at least 1500 years before the Hijra, or approximately the 9th century BCE.^[6] By the fourth century CE, Arab tribes began to encroach from Yemen, and there were three prominent Jewish tribes that inhabited the city around the time of Muhammad: the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Qurayza, and Banu Nadir.^[16] Ibn Khordadbeh later reported that during the Persian Empire’s domination in Hejaz, the Banu Qurayza served as tax collectors for the Persian Shah.^[17]

The situation changed after the arrival of two new Arab tribes, the ‘Aws or Banu ‘Aws and the Khazraj, also known as the Banu Khazraj. At first, these tribes were allied with the Jewish tribes who ruled the region, but later revolted and became independent.^[18]

Under the ‘Aws and Khazraj[edit]

Toward the end of the 5th century,^[19] the Jewish rulers lost control of the city to the two Arab tribes. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that «by calling in outside assistance and treacherously massacring at a banquet the principal Jews», Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj finally gained the upper hand at Medina.^[16]

Most modern historians accept the claim of the Muslim sources that after the revolt, the Jewish tribes became clients of the ‘Aws and the Khazraj.^[20] However, according to Scottish scholar, William Montgomery Watt, the clientship of the Jewish tribes is not borne out by the historical accounts of the period prior to 627, and he maintained that the Jewish populace retained a measure of political independence.^[18]

Early Muslim chronicler Ibn Ishaq tells of an ancient conflict between the last Yemenite king of the Himyarite Kingdom^[21] and the residents of Yathrib. When the king was passing by the oasis, the residents killed his son, and the Yemenite ruler threatened to exterminate the people and cut down the palms. According to Ibn Ishaq, he was stopped from doing so by two rabbis from the Banu Qurayza tribe, who implored the king to spare the oasis because it was the place «to which a prophet of the Quraysh would migrate in time to come, and it would be his home and resting-place.» The Yemenite king thus did not destroy the town and converted to Judaism. He took the rabbis with him, and in Mecca, they reportedly recognized the Ka’bah as a temple built by Abraham and advised the king «to do what the people of Mecca did: to circumambulate the temple, to venerate and honor it, to shave his head and to behave with all humility until he had left its precincts.» On approaching Yemen, tells Ibn Ishaq, the rabbis demonstrated to the local people a miracle by coming out of a fire unscathed and the Yemenites accepted Judaism.^[22]

Eventually the Banu ‘Aws and the Banu Khazraj became hostile to each other and by the time of Muhammad’s Hijrah (emigration) to Medina in 622, they had been fighting for 120 years and were sworn enemies^[23] The Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza were allied with the ‘Aws, while the Banu Qaynuqa sided with the Khazraj.^[24] They fought a total of four wars.^[18]

Their last and bloodiest known battle was the Battle of Bu’ath,^[18] fought a few years prior to the arrival of Muhammad.^[16] The outcome of the battle was inconclusive, and the feud continued. ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, one Khazraj chief, had refused to take part in the battle, which earned him a reputation for equity and peacefulness. He was the most respected inhabitant of the city prior to Muhammad’s arrival. To solve the ongoing feud, concerned residents of Yathrib met secretly with Muhammad in ‘Aqaba, a place outside Mecca, inviting him and his small group of believers to come to the city, where Muhammad could serve a mediator between the factions and his community could practice its faith freely.

Under Muhammad and the Rashidun[edit]

In 622, Muhammad and an estimated 70 Meccan Muhajirun left Mecca over a period of a few months for sanctuary in Yathrib, an event that transformed the religious and political landscape of the city completely; the longstanding enmity between the Aus and Khazraj tribes was dampened as many of the two Arab tribes and some local Jews embraced the new religion of Islam. Muhammad, linked to the Khazraj through his great-grandmother, was agreed on as the leader of the city. The natives of Yathrib who had converted to Islam of any background—pagan Arab or Jewish—were called the Ansar («the Patrons» or «the Helpers»), while the Muslims would pay the Zakat tax.

According to Ibn Ishaq, all parties in the area agreed to the Constitution of Medina, which committed all parties to mutual cooperation under the leadership of Muhammad. The nature of this document as recorded by Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by Ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern Western historians, many of whom maintain that this «treaty» is possibly a collage of different agreements, oral rather than written, of different dates, and that it is not clear exactly when they were made. Other scholars, however, both Western and Muslim, argue that the text of the agreement—whether a single document originally or several—is possibly one of the oldest Islamic texts we possess.^[25] In Yemenite Jewish sources, another treaty was drafted between Muhammad and his Jewish subjects, known as Kitāb Dimmat al-Nabi, written in the 3rd year of the Hijra (625), and which gave express liberty to Jews living in Arabia to observe the Sabbath and to grow-out their side-locks. In return, they were to pay the jizya annually for protection by their patrons.^[26][5]

Battle of Uhud[edit]

In the year 625, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, a senior chieftain of Mecca who later converted to Islam, led a Meccan force against Medina. Muhammad marched out to meet the Qurayshi army with an estimated 1,000 troops, but just as the army approached the battlefield, 300 men under ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy withdrew, dealing a severe blow to the Muslim army’s morale. Muhammad continued marching with his now 700-strong force and ordered a group of 50 archers to climb a small hill, now called Jabal ar-Rummaah (The Archers’ Hill) to keep an eye on the Meccan’s cavalry and to provide protection to the rear of the Muslim’s army. As the battle heated up, the Meccans were forced to retreat. The frontline was pushed further and further away from the archers and foreseeing the battle to be a victory for the Muslims, the archers decided to leave their posts to pursue the retreating Meccans. A small party, however, stayed behind; pleading the rest to not disobey Muhammad’s orders.

Seeing that the archers were starting to descend from the hill, Khalid ibn al-Walid commanded his unit to ambush the hill and his cavalry unit pursued the descending archers were systematically slain by being caught in the plain ahead of the hill and the frontline, watched upon by their desperate comrades who stayed behind up in the hill who were shooting arrows to thwart the raiders, but with little to no effect. However, the Meccans did not capitalize on their advantage by invading Medina and returned to Mecca. The Madanis (people of Medina) suffered heavy losses, and Muhammad was injured.^[28]

Battle of the Trench[edit]

In 627, Abu Sufyan led another force toward Medina. Knowing of his intentions, Muhammad asked for proposals for defending the northern flank of the city, as the east and west were protected by volcanic rocks and the south was covered with palm trees. Salman al-Farsi, a Persian Sahabi who was familiar with Sasanian war tactics recommended digging a trench to protect the city and Muhammad accepted it. The subsequent siege came to be known as the Battle of the Trench and the Battle of the Confederates. After a month-long siege and various skirmishes, the Meccans withdrew again due to the harsh winter.

During the siege, Abu Sufyan contacted the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza and formed an agreement with them, to attack the Muslim defenders and effectively encircle the defenders. It was however discovered by the Muslims and thwarted. This was in breach of the Constitution of Medina and after the Meccan withdrawal, Muhammad immediately marched against the Qurayza and laid siege to their strongholds. The Jewish forces eventually surrendered. Some members of the Aws negotiated on behalf of their old allies and Muhammad agreed to appoint one of their chiefs who had converted to Islam, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, as judge. Sa’ad judged by Jewish law that all male members of the tribe should be killed and the women and children enslaved as was the law stated in the Old Testament for treason in the Book of Deutoronomy.^[29] This action was conceived of as a defensive measure to ensure that the Muslim community could be confident of its continued survival in Medina. The French historian Robert Mantran proposes that from this point of view it was successful—from this point on, the Muslims were no longer primarily concerned with survival but with expansion and conquest.^[29]

In the ten years following the hijra, Medina formed the base from which Muhammad and the Muslim army attacked and were attacked, and it was from here that he marched on Mecca, entering it without battle in 630. Despite Muhammad’s tribal connection to Mecca, the growing importance of Mecca in Islam, the significance of the Ka’bah as the center of the Islamic world, as the direction of prayer (Qibla), and in the Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj), Muhammad returned to Medina, which remained for some years the most important city of Islam and the base of operations of the early Rashidun Caliphate.^[5]

The city is presumed to have been renamed Madinat al-Nabi («City of the Prophet» in Arabic) in honor of Muhammad’s prophethood and the city being the site of his burial. Alternatively, Lucien Gubbay suggests the name Medina could also have been a derivative from the Aramaic word Medinta, which the Jewish inhabitants could have used for the city.^[30]

Under the first three caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, Medina was the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire. During the reign of ‘Uthman ibn al-Affan, the third caliph, a party of Arabs from Egypt, disgruntled at some of his political decisions, attacked Medina in 656 and assassinated him in his own home. Ali, the fourth caliph, changed the capital of the caliphate from Medina to Kufa in Iraq for being in a more strategic location. Since then, Medina’s importance dwindled, becoming more a place of religious importance than of political power. Medina witnessed little to no economic growth during and after Ali’s reign.^[5]

Under subsequent Islamic regimes[edit]

Umayyad Caliphate[edit]

After al-Hasan, the son of ‘Ali, ceded power to Mu’awiyah I, son of Abu Sufyan, Mu’awiyah marched into Kufa, Ali’s capital, and received the allegiance of the local ‘Iraqis. This is considered to be the beginning of the Umayyad caliphate. Mu’awiyah’s governors took special care of Medina and dug the ‘Ayn az-Zarqa’a («Blue Spring») spring along with a project that included the creation of underground ducts for the purposes of irrigation. Dams were built in some of the wadis and the subsequent agricultural boom led to the strengthening of the economy.

Following a period of unrest during the Second Fitna in 679, Husayn ibn ‘Ali was martyred at Karbala and Yazid assumed unchecked control for the next three years. In 682, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr declared himself Caliph of Mecca and the people of Medina swore allegiance to him. This led to an eight-year-long period of economic distress for the city. In 692, the Umayyads regained power and Medina experienced its second period of huge economic growth. Trade improved and more people moved into the city. The banks of Wadi al-‘Aqiq were now lush with greenery. This period of peace and prosperity coincided with the rule of ‘Umar ibn Abdulaziz, who many consider to be the fifth of the Rashidun.^[5]

Abbasid Caliphate[edit]

Abdulbasit A. Badr, in his book, Madinah, The Enlightened City: History and Landmarks, divides this period into three distinct phases:^[5]

Badr describes the period between 749 and 974 as a push-and-pull between peace and political turmoil, while Medina continued to pay allegiance to the Abbasids. From 974 to 1151, Medina was in a liaison with the Fatimids, even though the political stand between the two remained turbulent and did not exceed the normal allegiance. From 1151 onwards, Medina paid allegiance to the Zengids, and the Emir Nuruddin Zangi took care of the roads used by pilgrims and funded the fixing of the water sources and streets. When he visited Medina in 1162, he ordered the construction of a new wall that encompassed the new urban areas outside the old city wall. Zangi was succeeded by Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, who supported Qasim ibn Muhanna, the Governor of Medina, and greatly funded the growth of the city while slashing taxes paid by the pilgrims.^[5] He also funded the Bedouins who lived on the routes used by pilgrims to protect them on their journeys. The later Abbasids also continued to fund the expenses of the city. While Medina was formally allied with the Abbasids during this period, they maintained closer relations with the Zengids and Ayyubids. The historic city formed an oval, surrounded by a strong wall, 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12.2 m) high, dating from this period, and was flanked with towers. Of its four gates, the Bab al-Salam («The Gate of Peace»), was remarked for its beauty. Beyond the walls of the city, the west and south were suburbs consisting of low houses, yards, gardens and plantations.^[5]

Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo[edit]

After a brutal long conflict with the Abbasids, the Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo took over the Egyptian governorate and effectively gained control of Medina.^[5] In 1256, Medina was threatened by lava from the Harrat Rahat volcanic region but was narrowly saved from being burnt after the lava turned northward.^[5][31][32] During Mamluk reign, the Masjid an-Nabawi caught fire twice. Once in 1256, when the storage caught fire, burning the entire mosque, and the other time in 1481, when the masjid was struck by lightning. This period also coincided with an increase in scholarly activity in Medina, with scholars such as Ibn Farhun, Al-Hafiz Zain al-Din al-‘Iraqi, Al Sakhawi and others settling in the city.^[5] The striking iconic Green Dome also found its beginnings as a cupola built under Mamluk Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun as-Salihi in 1297.^[5]

Ottoman rule[edit]

First Ottoman period[edit]

In 1517, the first Ottoman period began with Selim I’s conquest of Mamluk Egypt. This added Medina to their territory and they continued the tradition of showering Medina with money and aid. In 1532, Suleiman the Magnificent built a secure fortress around the city and constructed a strong castle armed by an Ottoman battalion to protect the city. This is also the period in which many of the Prophet’s Mosque’s modern features were built even though it wasn’t painted green yet.^[33] These suburbs also had walls and gates. The Ottoman sultans took a keen interest in the Prophet’s Mosque and redesigned it over and over to suit their preferences.

First Saudi insurgency[edit]

As the Ottomans’ hold over their domains broke loose, the Madanis pledged alliance to Saud bin Abdulaziz, founder of the First Saudi state in 1805, who quickly took over the city. In 1811, Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ottoman commander and Wali of Egypt, commanded two armies under each of his two sons to seize Medina, the first one, under the elder Towson Pasha, failed to take Medina. But the second one, a larger army under the command of Ibrahim Pasha, succeeded after battling a fierce resistance movement.^[5]

Muhammad Ali Pasha’s era[edit]

After defeating his Saudi foes, Muhammad Ali Pasha took over governance of Medina and although he did not formally declare independence, his governance took on more of a semi-autonomous style. Muhammad’s sons, Towson and Ibrahim, alternated in the governance of the city. Ibrahim renovated the city’s walls and the Prophet’s Mosque. He established a grand provision distribution center (taqiyya) to distribute food and alms to the needy and Medina lived a period of security and peace.^{[citation needed]} In 1840, Muhammad moved his troops out of the city and officially handed the city to the central Ottoman command.^[5]

Second Ottoman period[edit]

Four years in 1844, after Muhammad Ali Pasha’s departure, Davud Pasha was given the position of governor of Medina under the Ottoman sultan. Davud was responsible for renovating the Prophet’s Mosque on Sultan Abdulmejid I’s orders. When Abdul Hamid II assumed power, he made Medina stand out of the desert with a number of modern marvels, including a radio communication station, a power plant for the Prophet’s Mosque and its immediate vicinity, a telegraph line between Medina and Constantinople, and the Hejaz railway which ran from Damascus to Medina with a planned extension to Mecca. Within one decade, the population of the city multiplied by leaps and bounds and reached 80,000. Around this time, Medina started falling prey to a new threat, the Hashemite Sharifate of Mecca in the south. Medina witnessed the longest siege in its history during and after World War I.^[5]

Modern history[edit]

Sharifate of Mecca and Saudi conquest[edit]

The Sharif of Mecca, Husayn ibn Ali, first attacked Medina on 6 June 1916, in the middle of World War I.^[5] Four days later, Husayn held Medina in a bitter 3-year siege, during which the people faced food shortages, widespread disease and mass emigration.^[5] Fakhri Pasha, governor of Medina, tenaciously held on during the Siege of Medina from 10 June 1916 and refused to surrender and held on another 72 days after the Armistice of Moudros, until he was arrested by his own men and the city was taken over by the Sharifate on 10 January 1919.^[5][34] Husayn largely won the war due to his alliance with the British. In anticipation of the plunder and destruction to follow, Fakhri Pasha secretly dispatched the Sacred Relics of Muhammad to the Ottoman capital, Istanbul.^[35] As of 1920, the British described Medina as «much more self-supporting than Mecca.»^[36] After the Great War, the Sharif of Mecca, Sayyid Hussein bin Ali was proclaimed King of an independent Hejaz. Soon after, the people of Medina secretly entered an agreement with Ibn Saud in 1924, and his son, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz conquered Medina as part of the Saudi conquest of Hejaz on 5 December 1925 which gave way to the whole of the Hejaz being incorporated into the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.^[5]

Under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia[edit]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia focused more on the expansion of the city and the demolition of former sites that violated Islamic principles and Islamic law such as the tombs at al-Baqi. Nowadays, the city mostly only holds religious significance and as such, just like Mecca, has given rise to a number of hotels surrounding the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, which unlike the Masjid Al-Ḥarām, is equipped with an underground parking. The old city’s walls have been destroyed and replaced with the three ring roads that encircle Medina today, named in order of length, King Faisal Road, King Abdullah Road and King Khalid Road. Medina’s ring roads generally see less traffic overall compared to the four ring roads of Mecca.

An international airport, named the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, now serves the city and is located on Highway 340, known locally as the Old Qassim Road. The city now sits at the crossroads of two major Saudi Arabian highways, Highway 60, known as the Qassim–Medina Highway, and Highway 15 which connects the city to Mecca in the south and onward and Tabuk in the north and onward, known as the Al Hijrah Highway or Al Hijrah Road, after Muhammad’s journey.

The old Ottoman railway system was shutdown after their departure from the region and the old railway station has now been converted into a museum. The city has recently seen another connection and mode of transport between it and Mecca, the Haramain high-speed railway line connects the two cities via King Abdullah Economic City near Rabigh, King Abdulaziz International Airport and the city of Jeddah in under 3 hours.

Though the city’s sacred core of the old city is off limits to non-Muslims, the Haram area of Medina itself is much smaller than that of Mecca and Medina has recently seen an increase in the number of Muslim and Non-Muslim expatriate workers of other nationalities, most commonly South Asian peoples and people from other countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Almost all of the historic city has been demolished in the Saudi era. The rebuilt city is centered on the vastly expanded al-Masjid an-Nabawi.

Destruction of heritage in Medina[edit]

Saudi Arabia 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 consequence, under Saudi rule, Medina has suffered from considerable destruction of its physical heritage including the loss of many buildings over a thousand years old.^[37] Critics have described this as «Saudi vandalism» and claim that 300 historic sites linked to Muhammad, his family or companions have been lost in Medina and Mecca over the last 50 years.^[38] The most famous example of this is the demolition of al-Baqi.

Geography[edit]

Medina is located in the Hejaz region which is a 200 km (124 mi) wide strip between the Nafud desert and the Red Sea.^[5] Located approximately 720 km (447 mi) northwest of Riyadh which is at the center of the Saudi desert, the city is 250 km (155 mi) away from the west coast of Saudi Arabia and at an elevation of approximately 620 m (2,030 ft) above sea level. It lies at 39º36′ longitude east and 24º28′ latitude north. It covers an area of about 589 km² (227 sq mi). The city has been divided into twelve districts, 7 of which have been categorized as urban districts, while the other 5 have been categorized as suburban.

Elevation[edit]

Like most cities in the Hejaz region, Medina is situated at a very high elevation. Almost three times as high as Mecca, the city is situated at 620 m (2,030 ft) above sea level. Mount Uhud is the highest peak in Medina and is 1,077 meters (3,533 feet) tall.

Topography[edit]

Medina is a desert oasis surrounded by the Hejaz Mountains and volcanic hills. The soil surrounding Medina consists of mostly basalt, while the hills, especially noticeable to the south of the city, are volcanic ash which dates to the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era. It is surrounded by a number of famous mountains, most notably Jabal Al-Hujjaj (The Pilgrims’ Mountain) to the west, Sal’aa Mountain to the north-west, Jabal al-‘Ir or Caravan Mountain to the south and Mount Uhud to the north. The city is situated on a flat mountain plateau at the tripoint of the three valleys (wadis) of Wadi al ‘Aql, Wadi al ‘Aqiq, and Wadi al Himdh, for this reason, there are large green areas amidst a dry deserted mountainous region.^[5]

Climate[edit]

Under the Köppen climate classification, Medina falls in a hot desert climate region (BWh). Summers are extremely hot and dry with daytime temperatures averaging about 43 °C (109 °F) with nights about 29 °C (84 °F). Temperatures above 45 °C (113 °F) are not unusual between June and September. Winters are milder, with temperatures from 12 °C (54 °F) at night to 25 °C (77 °F) in the day. There is very little rainfall, which falls almost entirely between November and May. In summer, the wind is north-western, while in the spring and winters, is south-western.

Significance in Islam[edit]

Medina’s importance as a religious site derives from the presence of two mosques, Masjid Quba’a and al-Masjid an-Nabawi. Both of these mosques were built by Muhammad himself. Islamic scriptures emphasize the sacredness of Medina. Medina is mentioned several times in the Quran, two examples are Surah At-Tawbah. verse 101 and Al-Hashr. verse 8. Medinan suras are typically longer than their Meccan counterparts and they are also larger in number. Muhammad al-Bukhari recorded in Sahih Bukhari that Anas ibn Malik quoted Muhammad as saying:

«Medina is a sanctuary from that place to that. Its trees should not be cut and no heresy should be innovated nor any sin should be committed in it, and whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits sins (bad deeds), then he will incur the curse of God, the angels, and all the people.»

The Prophet’s Mosque (al-Masjid an-Nabawi)[edit]

According to Islamic tradition, a prayer in The Prophet’s Mosque equates to 1,000 prayers in any other mosque except the Masjid al-Haram^[40] where one prayer equates to 100,000 prayers in any other mosque.^[40] The mosque was initially just an open space for prayer with a raised and covered minbar (pulpit) built within seven months and was located beside Muhammad’s rawdhah (residence, although the word literally means garden) to its side along with the houses of his wives. The mosque was expanded several times throughout history, with many of its internal features developed over time to suit contemporary standards.

The modern Prophet’s Mosque is famed for the Green Dome situated directly above Muhammad’s rawdhah, which currently serves as the burial site for Muhammad, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab and is used in road signage along with its signature minaret as an icon for Medina itself. The entire piazza of the mosque is shaded from the sun by 250 membrane umbrellas.

Quba’a Mosque[edit]

It is Sunnah to perform prayer at the Quba’a Mosque. According to a hadith, Sahl ibn Hunayf reported that Muhammad said,

«Whoever purifies himself in his house, then comes to the mosque of Quba’ and prays in it, he will have a reward like the Umrah pilgrimage.»^[13][40]

and in another narration,

«Whoever goes out until he comes to this mosque – meaning the Mosque of Quba’ – and prays there, that will be equivalent to ‘Umrah.»^[13]

It has been recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim that Muhammad used to go to Quba’a every Saturday to offer two rak’ahs of Sunnah prayer. The mosque at Quba’a was built by Muhammad himself upon his arrival to the old city of Medina. Quba’a and the mosque has been referred in the Qur’an indirectly in Surah At-Tawbah, verse 108.

Other sites[edit]

Masjid al-Qiblatayn[edit]

Masjid al-Qiblatayn is another mosque historically important to Muslims. Muslims believe that Muhammad was commanded to change his direction of prayer (qibla) from praying toward Jerusalem to praying toward the Ka’bah at Mecca, as he was commanded in Surah Al-Baqarah, verses 143 and 144.^[41] The mosque is currently being expanded to be able to hold more than 4,000 worshippers.^[42]

Masjid al-Fath and the Seven Mosques[edit]

Three of these historic six mosques were combined recently into the larger Masjid al-Fath with an open courtyard.^[5] Sunni sources claim that there is no hadith or any other evidence to prove that Muhammad may have said something about the virtue of these mosques.

Al-Baqi’ Cemetery[edit]

Al-Baqi’ is a significant cemetery in Medina where several family members of Muhammad, caliphs and scholars are known to have been buried.^[5]

In Islamic eschatology[edit]

End of civilization[edit]

Concerning the end of civilization in Medina, Abu Hurairah is recorded to have said that Muhammad said:^[43]

«The people will leave Medina in spite of the best state it will have, and none except the wild birds and the beasts of prey will live in it, and the last persons who will die will be two shepherds from the tribe of Muzaina, who will be driving their sheep towards Medina, but will find nobody in it, and when they reach the valley of Thaniyat-al-Wada’h, they will fall down on their faces dead.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 98)

Sufyan ibn Abu Zuhair said Muhammad said:^[43]

«Yemen will be conquered and some people will migrate (from Medina) and will urge their families, and those who will obey them to migrate (to Yemen) although Medina will be better for them; if they but knew. Sham will also be conquered and some people will migrate (from Medina) and will urge their families and those who will obey them, to migrate (to Sham) although Medina will be better for them; if they but knew. ‘Iraq will be conquered and some people will migrate (from Medina) and will urge their families and those who will obey them to migrate (to ‘Iraq) although Medina will be better for them; if they but knew.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 99)

Protection from plague and ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah)[edit]

With regards to Medina’s protection from plague and ad-Dajjal, the following ahadith were recorded:

by Abu Bakra:^[43]

«The terror caused by Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal will not enter Medina and at that time Medina will have seven gates and there will be two angels at each gate guarding them.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 103)

by Abu Hurairah:

«There are angels guarding the entrances (or roads) of Medina, neither plague nor Ad-Dajjal will be able to enter it.»^[43] (al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 30, Hadith 104)

Demographics[edit]

As of 2018, the recorded population was 2,188,138,^[44] with a growth rate of 2.32%.^[45] Being a destination of Muslims from around the world, Medina witnesses illegal immigration after performing Hajj or Umrah, despite the strict rules the government has enforced. However, the Central Hajj Commissioner Prince Khalid bin Faisal stated that the numbers of illegal staying visitors dropped by 29% in 2018.^[46]

Religion[edit]

As with most cities in Saudi Arabia, Islam is the religion followed by the majority of the population of Medina.

Sunnis of different schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali) constitute the majority, while there is a significant Shia minority in and around Medina, such as the Nakhawila. Outside the haram, there are significant numbers of Non-Muslim migrant workers and expats.

Culture[edit]

Similar to that of Mecca, Medina exhibits a cross-cultural environment, a city where people of many nationalities and cultures live together and interact with each other on a daily basis. This only helps the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran. Established in 1985, the biggest publisher of Quran in the world, it employs around 1100 people and publishes 361 different publications in many languages. It is reported that more than 400,000 people from around the world visit the complex every year.^[47][48] Every visitor is gifted a free copy of the Qur’an at the end of a tour of the facility.^[48]

Museums and arts[edit]

The Al Madinah Museum has several exhibits concerning the cultural and historical heritage of the city featuring different archeological collections, visual galleries and rare images of the old city.^[49] It also includes the Hejaz Railway Museum. The Dar Al Madinah Museum opened in 2011 and it uncovers the history of Medina specializing in the architectural and urban heritage of the city.^[50] There is no archeology or architecture from the time of Mohammed, except what remains of a few stone defensive towers^[51] The Holy Qur’an Exhibition houses rare manuscripts of the Quran, along with other exhibitions that encircle the Masjid an-Nabawi.^[52]

The Madinah Arts Center, founded in 2018 and operated by the MMDA’s Cultural Wing, focuses on modern and contemporary arts. The center aims to enhance arts and enrich the artistic and cultural movement of society, empowering artists of all groups and ages. As of February 2020, before the implementation of social distancing measures and curfews, it held more than 13 group and solo art galleries, along with weekly workshops and discussions. The center is located in King Fahd Park, close to Quba Mosque on an area of 8,200 square meters (88,264 square feet)^[53]

In 2018, the MMDA launched Madinah Forum of Arabic Calligraphy, an annual forum to celebrate Arabic calligraphy and renowned Arabic calligraphers. The event includes discussions about Arabic Calligraphy, and a gallery to show the work of 50 Arabic calligraphers from 10 countries.^[54] The Dar al-Qalam Center for Arabic Calligraphy is located to the northwest of the Masjid an-Nabawi, just across the Hejaz Railway Museum. In April 2020, it was announced that the center was renamed the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Center for Arabic Calligraphy, and upgraded to an international hub for Arabic Calligraphers, in conjunction with the «Year of Arabic Calligraphy» event organized by the Ministry of Culture during the years 2020 and 2021.^[55]

Other projects launched by the MMDA Cultural Wing include the Madinah Forum of Live Sculpture held at Quba Square, with 16 sculptors from 11 countries. The forum aimed to celebrate sculpture as it is an ancient art, and to attract young artists to this form of art.^[56]

Economy[edit]

Historically, Medina’s economy was dependent on the sale of dates and other agricultural activities. As of 1920, 139 varieties of dates were being grown in the area, along with other vegetables.^[57] Religious tourism plays a major part in Medina’s economy, being the second holiest city in Islam, and holding many historical Islamic locations, it attracts more than 7 million annual visitors who come to perform Hajj during the Hajj season, and Umrah throughout the year.^[58]

Medina has two industrial areas, the larger one was established in 2003 with a total area of 10,000,000 m², and managed by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON). It is located 50 km from Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, and 200 km from Yanbu Commercial Port, and has 236 factories, which produce petroleum products, building materials, food products, and many other products.^[59] The Knowledge Economic City (KEC) is a Saudi Arabian joint stock company founded in 2010. It focuses on real estate development and knowledge-based industries.^[60] The project is under development and is expected to highly increase the number of jobs in Medina by its completion.^[61]

Human resources[edit]

Education and scholarly activity[edit]

Primary and secondary education[edit]

The Ministry of Education is the governing body of education in the al-Madinah Province and it operates 724 and 773 public schools for boys and girls respectively throughout the province.^[62] Taibah High School is one of the most notable schools in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1942, it was the second-largest school in the country at that time. Saudi ministers and government officials have graduated from this high school.^[63]

Higher education and research[edit]

Taibah University is a public university providing higher education for the residents of the province, it has 28 colleges, of which 16 are in Medina. It offers 89 academic programs and has a strength of 69210 students as of 2020.^[64] The Islamic University, established in 1961, is the oldest higher education institution in the region, with around 22000 students enrolled. It offers majors in Sharia, Qur’an, Usul ad-Din, Hadith, and the Arabic language.^[65] The university offers Bachelor of Arts degrees and also Master’s and Doctorate degrees.^[66] The admission is open to Muslims based on scholarships programs that provide accommodation and living expenses. In 2012, the university expanded its programs by establishing the College of Science, which offers Engineering and Computer science majors.^[67] Al Madinah College of Technology, which is governed by TVTC, offers a variety of degree programs including Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Computer Sciences and Electronic Sciences.^{[circular reference]} Private universities at Medina include University of Prince Muqrin, the Arab Open University, and Al Rayyan Colleges.

Transport[edit]

Air[edit]

Medina is served by the Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport located off Highway 340. It handles domestic flights, while it has scheduled international services to regional destinations in the Middle East. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Saudi Arabia, handling 8,144,790 passengers in 2018.^[68] The airport project was announced as the world’s best by Engineering News-Record’s 3rd Annual Global Best Projects Competition held on 10 September 2015.^[69][70] The airport also received the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certificate in the MENA region.^[71] The airport receives higher numbers of passengers during the Hajj.

Roads[edit]

In 2015, the MMDA announced Darb as-Sunnah (Sunnah Path) Project, which aims to develop and transform the 3 km (2 mi) Quba’a Road connecting the Quba’a Mosque to the al-Masjid an-Nabawi to an avenue, paving the whole road for pedestrians and providing service facilities to the visitors. The project also aims to revive the Sunnah where Muhammed used to walk from his house (al-Masjid an-Nabawi) to Quba’a every Saturday afternoon.^[72]

The city of Medina lies at the junction of two of the most important Saudi highways, Highway 60 and Highway 15. Highway 15 connects Medina to Mecca in the south and onward and Tabuk and Jordan in the north. Highway 60 connects the city with Yanbu, a port city on the Red Sea in the west and Al Qassim in the east. The city is served by three ring roads: King Faisal Road, a 5 km ring road that surrounds Al-Masjid an-Nabawi and the downtown area, King Abdullah Road, a 27 km road that surrounds most of urban Medina and King Khalid Road is the biggest ring road that surrounds the whole city and some rural areas with 60 km of roads.

Bus and rapid transit[edit]

The bus transport system in Medina was established in 2012 by the MMDA and is operated by SAPTCO. The newly established bus system includes 10 lines connecting different regions of the city to Masjid an-Nabawi and the downtown area, and serves around 20,000 passengers on a daily basis.^[73][74] In 2017, the MMDA launched the Madinah Sightseeing Bus service. Open top buses take passengers on sightseeing trips throughout the day with two lines and 11 destinations, including Masjid an-Nabawi, Quba’a Mosque and Masjid al-Qiblatayn and offers audio tour guidance with 8 different languages.^[75] By the end of 2019, the MMDA announced its plan to expand the bus network with 15 BRT lines. The project was set to be done in 2023.^[76] In 2015, the MMDA announced a three-line metro project in extension to the public transportation master plan in Medina.^[77]

Rail[edit]

The historic Ottoman railways were shut down and the railway stations, including the one in Medina, were converted into museums by the Saudi government. The Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR) came into operation in 2018, linking Medina and Mecca, and passes through three stations: Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz International Airport, and King Abdullah Economic City.^[78] It runs along 444 kilometers (276 miles) with a speed of 300 km/h, and has an annual capacity of 60 million passengers.^[79]

Further reading[edit]

• Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (2011). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet ‌‍ﷺ. Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. ISBN 978-603-50011-0-6
• Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (2004). The History of Madinah Munawwarah. Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. ISBN 978-996-08921-1-5
• Badr, Abdulbasit A. (2013). Madinah, The Enlightened City: History and Landmarks. Medina: Al-Madinah Al Munawwarah Research & Studies Center. ISBN 978-603-90414-7-4

See also[edit]

• Bibliography of the history of Medina
• Funky Cold Medina

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Город в Эль-Мадине, Саудовская Аравия

Медина. المدينة. Город Пророка. مدينة النبي. Пророческий город. المدينة النبوية. Добрый. يبة. Самый добрый. طيبة الطابة
Город
Аль-Мадинат Аль-Мунавара. المدينة المدينة المدينة المدينة المدينة изображение Медины с севера от Мечети Пророка с мечетью на переднем плане и городом на заднем плане
Флаг Печать
Медина Местоположение Медины Показать карта Саудовской Аравии Медина Медина (Азия) Показать карту Азии
Координаты: 24 ° 28′N 39 ° 36′E / 24,467 ° N 39.600 ° E / 24,467; 39,600 Координаты : 24 ° 28’N 39 ° 36’E / 24,467 ° N 39,600 ° E / 24,467; 39.600
Страна	Саудовская Аравия
Провинция	Аль-Мадина
Первое заселение	9 век до н.э.
Хиджра	622 н.э. (1 AH )
завоевание Саудовской Аравией Медины	5 декабря 1925 года
Названо в честь	Мухаммада
Районов	Урбан Аль-Харам Куба’а Ухуд Аль ‘ Авали Аль ‘Укайк Аль’ Ююн Аль-Байда ‘ Пригород Аль-Акул Аль-Мулайлих Аль Мандаса Абьяр Аль Маши Аль Фариш
Правительство
• Тип	Муниципалитет
• Орган	Региональный муниципалитет Медины
• Мэр	Халид Тахер
• Губернатор провинции	Принц Фейсал бин Салман
Площадь
• Город	589 км (227 квадратных миль)
• Городской	293 км (117 квадратных миль)
• Сельская местность	296 км (114 квадратных миль)
Высота	620 м (2030 футов)
Наивысшая отметка (Крепление Ухуд )	1077 м (3533 футов)
Население (2010)
• Город	1,183,205
• Ранг	4-й
• Плотность	2,009 / км (5,212 / кв. Миль)
• Городской	785204
• Плотность городов	2680 / км (6949 / кв. Миль)
• Сельская местность	398 001
Демоним (ы)	Мадани. مدني
Часовой пояс	UTC + 3 (стандартное время Аравии)
Веб-сайт	amana-md.gov.sa

Медина, официально Аль-Мадина Аль-Мунававара (арабский : المدينة المنورة, романизированный : аль-Мадинат аль-Мунаварах, лит. ‘ Просвещенный город ‘), обычно упрощенно называемый Мадина или Медина, является одним из трех святейших городов в исламе и столица области Медина области Саудовская Аравия. По оценкам, на 2020 год население города составляет 1 488 782 человека, что делает его четвертым по численности населения городом в стране. Расположенный в центре провинции Медина в западной части страны, город расположен на площади 589 квадратных километров (227 квадратных миль), 293 км (117 квадратных миль) из которых составляют городскую территорию, в то время как остальную часть занимают горный хребет Хиджаз, пустые долины, сельскохозяйственные угодья, старые спящие вулканы и Пустыня Нафуд.

Город считается вторым по значимости из трех городов исламской традиции, два других — Мекка и Иерусалим. Масджид ан-Набави («Мечеть Пророка»), построенная Мухаммадом в 622 году н.э., имеет исключительное значение в исламе и является местом захоронения последнего исламского пророка.. Мусульмане посещают его раудху в так называемом зиярат хотя бы раз в своей жизни, хотя это не обязательно. Первоначальное название города до прихода ислама было Ясриб, и он упоминается под тем же именем в Коране в главе 33, аль-Ахзаб (Конфедераты). Он был переименован в Мадинат ан-Наби (Город Пророка или Город Пророка) после смерти Мухаммада, а затем в аль-Медина аль-Мунавара (Просветленный город), прежде чем был упрощен и сокращен до современного название, Медина (Город), написанное на английском как Медина. Саудовская Аравия дорожные знаки используют Медину и аль-Мадину аль-Мунавара как взаимозаменяемые.

Город, как известно, существовал более 1500 лет до переселения Мухаммеда из Мекки, иначе известный как хиджра. Медина была столицей быстро растущего мусульманского халифата под руководством Мухаммеда, служила его базой операций и колыбелью ислама, где Умма Мухаммеда (Сообщество), состоящий из граждан Медины, известных как ансар, и тех, кто иммигрировал с Мухаммадом, известных как Мухаджирун, вместе известных как Сахаба приобрел огромное влияние. В Медине находятся три известных мечети, а именно аль-Масджид ан-Набави, Масджид Куба и Масджид аль-Киблатайн с мечетью в Кубе. Существо старейшее в исламе. Большая часть Корана была ниспослана в Медине в отличие от более ранних мекканских сур.

Как и большинство Хиджаза, Медина была свидетелем многочисленных обменов власть за его сравнительно недолгое существование. Известно, что этот регион контролировался арабскими еврейскими племенами (до V века н.э.), аусами и хазраджами (до Прибытие Мухаммада ), Мухаммад и Рашидун (622–660 гг. Н. Э.), Омейяды (660–749 гг. Н. Э.), Аббасиды (749–1254 гг. Н. Э.), мамлюки Египта (1254–1517 гг. Н. Э.), османы (1517–1805 гг. Н. Э.), первое государство Саудовской Аравии (1805–1811 гг.), Мухаммед Али-паша (1811–1840 гг.), Османы во второй раз (1840–1918 гг.), хашемиты Шарифат Мекки (1918–1925 гг. Н. Э.) И, наконец, находится в руках современного Королевства Саудовская Аравия (1925 г. — н.э.).

В дополнение к посещению Зияра, туристы приезжают, чтобы посетить другие известные мечети и достопримечательности города, имеющие религиозное значение, такие как гора Ухуд, кладбище Аль-Баки и Семь Мечети и др. Недавно, после завоевания Саудовской Аравией, саудовцы осуществили снос нескольких гробниц и куполов в этом регионе и вокруг него, опасаясь, что они могут стать местами объединения других людей в поклонении помимо Аллаха (ширк ).

Содержание

• 1 История
  • 1.1 Этимология
    • 1.1.1 Ясриб
    • 1.1.2 Тайба и Табах
    • 1.1.3 Медина
  • 1.2 Ранняя история и еврейский контроль
  • 1.3 При Аусах и Хазраджах
  • 1.4 При Мухаммеде и Рашидуне
    • 1.4.1 Битва при Ухуде
    • 1.4.2 Битва при Траншеи
  • 1.5 При последующих исламских режимах
    • 1.5. 1 Омейядский халифат
    • 1.5.2 Аббасидский халифат
    • 1.5.3 Мамлюкский султанат Каир
  • 1.6 Османское правление
    • 1.6.1 Первый период Османской империи
    • 1.6.2 Первое восстание Саудовской Аравии
    • 1.6. 3 Эпоха Мухаммеда Али-паши
    • 1.6.4 Второй период Османской империи
  • 1.7 Современная история
    • 1.7.1 Шарифат Мекки и завоевание Саудовской Аравией
    • 1.7.2 При Королевстве Саудовская Аравия
    • 1.7.3 Уничтожение наследия
• 2 География
  • 2.1 Высота
  • 2.2 Топограф y
  • 2.3 Климат
• 3 Значение в исламе
  • 3.1 Мечеть Пророка (аль-Масджид ан-Набави)
  • 3.2 Мечеть Куба
  • 3.3 Другие места
    • 3.3.1 Масджид аль -Киблатайн
    • 3.3.2 Масджид аль-Фатх и семь мечетей
    • 3.3.3 Кладбище Аль-Баки
  • 3.4 В исламской эсхатологии
    • 3.4.1 Конец цивилизации
    • 3.4.2 Защита от чумы и ад-Даджала (Ложного Мессии)
• 4 Демография
  • 4.1 Религия
• 5 Культура
  • 5.1 Музеи и искусство
  • 5.2 Спорт
• 6 Экономика
• 7 Человеческие ресурсы
  • 7.1 Образование и научная деятельность
    • 7.1.1 Начальное и среднее образование
    • 7.1.2 Высшее образование и исследования
• 8 Транспорт
  • 8.1 Воздух
  • 8.2 Дороги
  • 8.3 Автобусы и скоростной транспорт
  • 8.4 Железная дорога
• 9 Дополнительная литература
• 10 См. Также
• 11 Ссылки
• 12 Внешние ссылки

История

Медина является домом для нескольких известных мест и достопримечательностей, большинство из которых которые являются мечетями и имеют историческое значение. К ним относятся три вышеупомянутые мечети, Масджид аль-Фатх (также известный как Масджид аль-Хандак), Семь мечетей, кладбище Баки, где предположительно находятся могилы многих известных исламских деятелей; прямо к юго-востоку от мечети Пророка, гора Ухуд, место одноименной битвы при Ухуде и комплекс печати Славного Корана короля Фахда, где находится самая современная кораническая Мусхафы напечатаны.

Этимология

Ясриб

До прихода ислама город был известен как Ясриб (произносится ; يَثْرِب). Слово Ясриб было записано в Āyah (стих) 13 из суры (глава) 33 Корана. и, таким образом, известно, что это было название города до битвы у траншеи. Позже Мухаммад запретил называть город этим именем.

Тайба и Табах

Через некоторое время после битвы Пророк Мухаммад переименовал город в Тайбах (Добрый или Добрый) (; طَيْبَة) и табах (арабский : طَابَة), что имеет аналогичное значение. Это название также используется для обозначения города в популярной народной песне «Йа Тайбах!». (О Тайба!). Эти два названия объединены в другое название города — Тайбат ат-Табах (Самый Добрый из всех).

Медина

В некоторых хадисах город также называют Мединой. Имена аль-Мадина ан-Набавийя (ٱلْمَدِيْنَة ٱلنَّبَوِيَّة) и Мадинат ун-Наби (оба означают «Город Пророка» или «Город Пророка») и аль-Мадинат уль-Мунавара (все производные города) являются производными этого слова. Это также наиболее общепринятое современное название города, которое используется в официальных документах и ​​дорожных знаках наряду с Мединой.

Ранняя история и еврейский контроль

Известно, что Медина была заселена по крайней мере за 1500 лет до хиджры, или примерно в 9 веке до нашей эры. К четвертому веку нашей эры арабские племена начали вторгаться из Йемена, и было три выдающихся иудейских племени, которые населяли город примерно во времена Мухаммеда: Бану Кайнука, Бану Курайза и Бану Надир. Ибн Хордадбех позже сообщили, что во время господства Персидской Империи в Хиджазе, Бану Курайза служили сборщиками налогов для персидского шаха.

Ситуация изменилась после прибытия двух новых арабских племен, аус или Бану Аус и Хазрадж, также известный как Бану Хазрадж. Сначала эти племена были в союзе с иудейскими племенами, правившими регионом, но позже восстали и стали независимыми.

При Аусах и Хазраджах

К концу V века Еврейские правители потеряли контроль над городом в пользу двух арабских племен. Еврейская энциклопедия утверждает, что «вызвав помощь извне и вероломно убив на банкете главных евреев», Бану Аус и Бану Хазрадж наконец взяли верх в Медине.

Большинство современных историков принять утверждение мусульманских источников о том, что после восстания еврейские племена стали клиентами аус и хазрадж. Однако, по словам шотландского ученого Уильяма Монтгомери Уотта, клиентура еврейских племен не подтверждается историческими отчетами периода до 627 года, и он утверждал, что еврейское население сохраняло определенную политическую позицию. независимость.

Ранний мусульманский летописец Ибн Исхак рассказывает о древнем конфликте между последним йеменским королем Химьяритского царства и жителями Ясриба.. Когда король проходил мимо оазиса, жители убили его сына, а йеменский правитель пригрозил истребить людей и срубить пальмы. Согласно ибн Исхаку, ему помешали сделать это два раввина из племени бану-курайза, которые умоляли царя пощадить оазис, потому что это было место, «в которое пророк из курайшитов со временем мигрируют, и это будет его дом и место отдыха ». Таким образом, йеменский царь не разрушил город и обратился в иудаизм. Он взял с собой раввинов, и в Мекке они, как сообщается, признали Каабу как храм, построенный Авраамом и посоветовали царь «делать то, что сделали жители Мекки: обходить храм, поклоняться и почитать его, обривать голову и вести себя со всем смирением, пока он не покинул его пределы». Приближаясь к Йемену, рассказывает Ибн Исхак, раввины продемонстрировали местным жителям чудо, выйдя из огня невредимыми, и йеменцы приняли иудаизм.

В конце концов бану аус и бану хазрадж стали враждебными друг другу и ко времени хиджры (эмиграции) Мухаммеда в Медину в 622 году н.э. они сражались в течение 120 лет и были заклятыми врагами. Бану Надир и Бану Курайза были в союзе с аусами, а бану Кайнука встал на сторону Хазраджа. В общей сложности они участвовали в четырех войнах.

Их последней и самой кровопролитной битвой была битва при Буасе, произошедшая за несколько лет до прибытия Мухаммеда. Исход битвы был безрезультатным, и вражда продолжалась. ‘Абдаллах ибн Убай, один хазраджский вождь, отказался участвовать в битве, что принесло ему репутацию справедливого и миролюбивого человека. Он был самым уважаемым жителем города до прибытия Мухаммеда. Чтобы разрешить продолжающуюся вражду, обеспокоенные жители Ясриба тайно встретились с Мухаммадом в ‘Акабе, месте за пределами Мекки, пригласив его и его небольшую группу верующих на приехать в город, где Мухаммед мог служить посредником между фракциями, а его община могла свободно исповедовать свою веру.

При Мухаммаде и Рашидуне

Мухаммад построил Куба Масджид по прибытии в Медину и, как говорят, посещал мечеть каждую субботу днем.

В 622 году н. Э. (1 г. хиджры) Мухаммад и около 70 мекканцев Мухаджирун покинули Мекку на несколько месяцев и отправились в убежище в Ясрибе, событие, которое полностью изменило религиозный и политический ландшафт города; давняя вражда между племенами аус и хазрадж ослабла, поскольку многие из двух арабских племен и некоторые местные евреи приняли новую религию ислама. Мухаммад, связанный с Хазраджем через свою прабабушку, был признан лидером города. Уроженцев Ясриба, принявших ислам любого происхождения — языческих арабов или евреев — называли ансар («покровители» или «помощники»), в то время как мусульмане уплатить налог закят.

Согласно Ибн Исхаку, все партии в этом районе согласились с Конституцией Медины, которая обязывала все стороны к взаимному сотрудничеству под руководством Мухаммеда. Природа этого документа, записанная Ибн Исхаком и переданная Ибн Хишамом, является предметом споров среди современных западных историков, многие из которых утверждают, что этот «договор», возможно, является коллажем различных соглашений, скорее устных. чем написано, разных дат, и неясно, когда именно они были сделаны. Однако другие ученые, как западные, так и мусульманские, утверждают, что текст соглашения — будь то исходный документ или несколько — возможно, является одним из старейших исламских текстов, которыми мы располагаем. В йеменских еврейских источниках между Мухаммедом и его еврейскими подданными был составлен еще один договор, известный как Китаб Диммат ан-Наби, написанный в 17-м году хиджры (638 г. н.э.), который давал евреям явную свободу. жить в Аравии, чтобы соблюдать субботу и вырастить свои косы. Взамен они должны были платить джизья ежегодно за защиту своих покровителей.

Битва при Ухуде

Гора Ухуд со старой мечетью вождя мучеников ( جامع سيد الشهداء), названный в честь дяди Мухаммада, Хамза ибн Абдул Мутталиб, на переднем плане. Мечеть была снесена в 2012 году, и на ее месте была построена новая, более крупная мечеть с таким же названием.

В 625 году н.э. (3 г. хиджры) Абу Суфьян ибн Харб, старший вождь Мекка, которая позже обратилась в ислам, повела мекканские войска против Медины. Мухаммад выступил на встречу с курайшитской армией с примерно 1000 войсками, но как только армия подошла к полю битвы, 300 человек под ‘Абдаллахом ибн Убай отступили, нанеся серьезный удар по моральный дух мусульманской армии. Мухаммед продолжил марш со своим теперь уже 700-сильным войском и приказал группе из 50 лучников подняться на небольшой холм, который теперь называется Джабал ар-Руммаах (Холм лучников), чтобы следить за мекканской конницей и для защиты тыла мусульманской армии. Когда битва накалилась, мекканцы были вынуждены отступить. Линия фронта отодвигалась все дальше и дальше от лучников, и, предвидя, что битва станет победой для мусульман, лучники решили оставить свои посты, чтобы преследовать отступающих мекканцев. Однако небольшая группа осталась; умоляя остальных не нарушать приказы Мухаммеда.

Видя, что лучники начали спускаться с холма, Халид ибн аль-Валид приказал своему отряду устроить засаду на холме, и его конница преследовала спускающихся лучников, систематически убивая их, попадаясь в ловушку. на равнине перед холмом и на линии фронта, за которыми наблюдали их отчаявшиеся товарищи, которые оставались позади на холме и стреляли стрелами, чтобы помешать налетчикам, но без особого эффекта. Однако мекканцы не воспользовались своим преимуществом, вторгшись в Медину, и вернулись в Мекку. Мадани (жители Медины) понесли тяжелые потери, а Мухаммад был ранен.

Битва у Траншеи

Три из Семи мечетей на месте Битвы при Траншеи были объединены в современный Масджид аль-Фатх, здесь изображенный с Джабал Салаа на заднем плане и магазином, торгующим местными товарами на переднем плане.

В 627 году н.э. (5 хиджры), Абу Суфьян повел еще один отряд к Медине. Зная о своих намерениях, Мухаммед запросил предложения по защите северного фланга города, так как восток и запад были защищены вулканическими породами, а юг был покрыт пальмами. Салман аль-Фарси, перс Сахаби, который был знаком с тактикой войны Сасанидов, рекомендовал вырыть траншею для защиты города, и Пророк принял это. Последующая осада стала известна как Битва у Траншеи и Битва Конфедератов. После месячной осады и различных стычек мекканцы снова отступили из-за суровой зимы.

Во время осады Абу Суфьян связался с еврейским племенем Бану Курайза и заключил с ними соглашение, чтобы атаковать мусульманских защитников и эффективно окружить их. Однако это было обнаружено мусульманами и сорвано. Это было нарушением Конституции Медины, и после ухода Мекки Мухаммад немедленно выступил против курайза и осадил их крепости. В конце концов еврейские войска сдались. Некоторые члены аус вели переговоры от имени своих старых союзников, и Мухаммад согласился назначить судьей одного из их вождей, обратившихся в ислам, Саада ибн Му’аза. Саад судил по еврейскому закону, что все члены племени мужского пола должны быть убиты, а женщины и дети порабощены в соответствии с законом, изложенным в Ветхом Завете за измену в Книге Второзакония. Эта акция была задумана как защитная мера, чтобы мусульманское сообщество могло быть уверено в своем продолжении выживания в Медине. Французский историк Роберт Мантран предполагает, что с этой точки зрения он был успешным — с этого момента мусульмане больше не интересовались в первую очередь выживанием, а были экспансией и завоеванием.

В течение десяти лет после хиджра, Медина сформировала базу, с которой Мухаммад и мусульманская армия атаковали и подверглись нападению, и именно отсюда он двинулся на Мекку, войдя в нее без боя в 630 г. н.э. или 8 г.х. Несмотря на племенную связь Мухаммада с Меккой, растущее значение Мекки в исламе, значение Каабы как центра исламского мира, как направления молитвы (Кибла ) и во время исламского паломничества (хадж ) Мухаммад вернулся в Медину, которая оставалась в течение нескольких лет самым важным городом ислама и базой операций раннего халифата Рашидун.

предполагается, что он был переименован в Мадинат ан-Наби («Город Пророка» на арабском ) в честь пророчества Мухаммеда и города, являющегося местом его захоронения. С другой стороны, Люсьен Губбай предполагает, что название Медина могло быть производным от арамейского слова Мединта, которое еврейские жители могли использовать для обозначения города.

При первых трех халифах Абу Бакр, Умар и Усман, Медина была столицей быстро растущей мусульманской империи. Во время правления Усмана ибн аль-Аффана, третий халиф, партия арабов из Египта, недовольная некоторыми его политическими решениями, напала на Медину в 656 г. н.э. и убила его в собственном доме. Али, четвертый халиф, изменил столицу халифата с Медины на Куфу в Ираке, поскольку находился в более стратегическом месте. С тех пор значение Медины уменьшилось, став местом скорее религиозного значения, чем политической власти. Во время правления Али и после него в Медине практически не наблюдалось экономического роста.

Зеленый купол был построен в 1297 году н.э. над раудхой (резиденцией) Мухаммеда и местом захоронения.

при последующих исламских режимах

Омейядский халифат

После того, как аль-Хасан, сын Али, уступил власть Муавии I, сыну Абу Суфьян, Муавия вошел в Куфу, столицу Али, и получил поддержку местных иракцев. Это считается началом халифата Омейядов. Правители Муавии проявили особую заботу о Медине и вырыли «Айн аз-Зарка’а» («Голубой источник») источник вместе с проектом, предусматривавшим создание подземных каналов для для целей орошения. В некоторых из вади были построены плотины, и последующий сельскохозяйственный бум привел к укреплению экономики.

Золотой динар Умара II, также известного как ‘Умар ибн Абдулазиз или Пятый из Праведных халифов.

После периода беспорядков в Вторая Фитна в 679 г. н.э. (60 г. хиджры), Хусейн ибн ‘Али был замучен в Кербеле, и Язид взял на себя неограниченный контроль в течение следующих трех лет. В 682 г. н.э. (63 г. хиджры) Абдаллах ибн аз-Зубайр объявил себя халифом Мекки, и жители Медины присягнули ему. Это привело к восьмилетнему периоду экономического кризиса для города. В 692 г. н.э. (73 г. хиджры) Омейяды восстановили власть, и Медина пережила второй период огромного экономического роста. Торговля улучшилась, и больше людей переехали в город. Берега Вади аль-Акика теперь заросли зеленью. Этот период мира и процветания совпал с правлением ‘Умара ибн Абдулазиза, которого многие считают пятым из Рашидуна.

Аббасидского халифата

Абдулбасита А. Бадра в своей книге Медина, Просветленный город: история и достопримечательности, делит этот период на три отдельные фазы:

Могила Салахуддина аль-Айюби, который положил начало традиции большого финансирования Медины и защиты паломников. посещение святого города. Фотография старой Медины с Зеленым куполом в рамке. Купол был построен во время мамлюкского периода, но османы дали его характерный цвет почти 600 лет спустя.

Бадр описывает период между 749 и 974 гг. Н. Э. (132–363 гг. Хиджры) как взаимозависимость между миром и политические беспорядки, в то время как Медина продолжала присягать Аббасидам. С 974 по 1151 г. н. Э. (363–546 гг. Хиджры) Медина поддерживала связь с Фатимидами, хотя политическая позиция между ними оставалась нестабильной и не выходила за рамки обычной лояльности. С 1151 г. н.э. (546 г. хиджры) и далее Медина присягала Зенгидам, а Эмир Нуруддин Занги заботился о дорогах, используемых паломниками, и финансировал ремонт источников воды и улицы. Когда он посетил Медину в 1162 году н.э. (557 г. хиджры), он приказал построить новую стену, которая охватила новые городские районы за пределами старой городской стены. Занги сменил Салахуддин аль-Айюби, основатель династии Айюбидов, который поддерживал Касима ибн Муханну, губернатора Медины, и в значительной степени финансировал рост города, сокращая уплаченные налоги. паломниками. Он также финансировал бедуинов, которые жили на маршрутах, используемых паломниками, чтобы защитить их в своих путешествиях. Поздние Аббасиды также продолжали финансировать расходы города. Хотя Медина в этот период формально была в союзе с Аббасидами, они поддерживали более тесные отношения с Зенгидами и Айюбидами. Исторический город имел форму овала, окруженного мощной стеной от 9,1 до 12,2 м в высоту, датируемой этим периодом, и был окружен башнями. Из четырех ворот Баб аль-Салам («Врата мира») выделялся своей красотой. За стенами города на западе и юге находились пригороды, состоящие из невысоких домов, дворов, садов и плантаций.

Мамлюкский султанат Каира

После жестокого длительного конфликта с Аббасидами, Мамлюкский султанат Каира захватил египетскую провинцию и фактически получил контроль над Мединой. В 1256 году н.э. (Раджаб 654 г. хиджры) Медине угрожала лава из вулканического региона Харрат Рахат, но была спасена от сожжения после того, как лава повернула на север. Во время правления мамлюков Масджид ан-Набави дважды загорался. Однажды в 1256 г. н.э. (654 г. хиджры), когда хранилище загорелось, сгорела вся мечеть, а другой раз в 1481 г. н.э. (886 г. хиджры), когда мечеть ударила молнией. Этот период также совпал с ростом научной активности в Медине, с такими учеными, как Ибн Фархун, Аль-Хафиз Зайн ад-Дин аль-Ираки, Аль Сахави и другие поселяются в городе. Поразительный знаковый Зеленый купол также берет свое начало как купол, построенный при Мамлюкском султане аль-Мансур Калавуне ас-Салихи в 1297 году нашей эры (678 г.х.). правило

Первый период Османской империи

В 1517 году н.э. (923 г. хиджры) первый Османский период начался с завоевания Селимом I мамлюкского Египта. Это добавило Медину к их территории, и они продолжили традицию осыпать Медину деньгами и помощью. В 1532 г. (939 г. хиджры) Сулейман Великолепный построил безопасную крепость вокруг города и построил крепкий замок, вооруженный османским батальоном для защиты города. Это также период, когда были построены многие современные элементы Мечети Пророка, хотя она еще не была окрашена в зеленый цвет. В этих предместьях тоже были стены и ворота. Османские султаны проявляли большой интерес к мечети Пророка и снова и снова переделывали ее в соответствии со своими предпочтениями.

Мухаммад Али-паша, который поддерживал Медину в мирном и процветающем состоянии около 30 лет после того, как взял ее у Первого государства Саудовской Аравии.

Первого саудовского мятежа

Как османы власть над своими владениями вырвалась, Мадани заключил союз с Саудом бин Абдулазизом, основателем Первого саудовского государства в 1805 г. н.э. (1220 г.х.), который быстро захватил город. В 1811 г. (1226 г. хиджры) Мухаммед Али-паша, османский командующий и Вали Египта, командовал двумя армиями под каждым из двух своих сыновей, чтобы захватить Медину, первую, под командованием Старший Тоусон-паша не смог взять Медину. Но вторая, более крупная армия под командованием Ибрагима-паши, преуспела после борьбы с ожесточенным движением сопротивления.

эпоха Мухаммеда Али-паши

После победы над его саудовскими противниками Мухаммед Али-паша взял на себя управление Мединой, и хотя он официально не провозгласил независимость, его управление приняло более полуавтономный стиль. Сыновья Мухаммеда, Тоусон и Ибрагим, поочередно управляли городом. Ибрагим отремонтировал городские стены и мечеть Пророка. Он основал большой центр распределения продовольствия (такийя) для раздачи еды и милостыни нуждающимся, и Медина жила в период безопасности и мира. В 1840 году н.э. (1256 г. хиджры) Мухаммед вывел свои войска из города и официально передал город

Второй период Османской империи

Железная дорога Хиджаза железнодорожный путь около Вади Рам в Иордании. Сегодня Иордания использует железную дорогу для транспортировки фосфатов.

. Четыре года назад в 1844 г. н.э. (1260 г. хиджры), после ухода Мухаммеда Али-паши Давуд-паша получил должность губернатора Египта при османском султане. Давуд отвечал за ремонт мечети Пророка по приказу султана Абдулмеджида I.. Когда Абдул Хамид II пришел к власти, он выделил Медину из пустыни рядом современных чудес, включая станцию ​​радиосвязи, электростанцию ​​ для мечеть Пророка и ее ближайшие окрестности, телеграфная линия между Мединой и Стамбулом, и железная дорога Хиджаза, которая шла из Дамаска в Медину с планируемым продлением до Мекки. За одно десятилетие население города стремительно росло и достигло 80 000 человек. Примерно в это же время Медина стала жертвой новой угрозы, хашемитов Шарифата Мекки на юге. Медина стала свидетелем самой продолжительной осады в своей истории во время и после Первой мировой войны.

Современная история

Шарифат Мекки и завоевание Саудовской Аравией

Шариф Мекки, Хусейн ибн Али впервые напал на Медину 6 июня 1916 г. или 4 шаабана 1334 г. хиджры, в середине Первой мировой войны. Через четыре дня, Хусайн провел Медину в горьком 3-летней осады, во время которой люди сталкиваются с нехваткой продовольствия, широко распространенное заболевание и массу эмиграцию. Фахри Паша, губернатор Медины, цепко провел во время осады Медины с 10 июня 1916 года и отказался сдаться и продержался еще 72 дня после перемирия Мудроса, пока он не был арестован своими людьми и город не был захвачен Шарифатом 10 января 1919 года. Хусейн в значительной степени выиграл войну благодаря своему союзу с британцами. Предвидя последующие разграбления и разрушения, Фахри-паша тайно отправил Священные реликвии Мухаммеда в столицу Османской империи Стамбул. По состоянию на 1920 г. британцы описывали Медину как «гораздо более самодостаточную, чем Мекка». После Великой войны Шариф Мекки Сайид Хусейн бин Али был провозглашен королем независимого Хиджаза. Вскоре после этого жители Медины тайно заключили соглашение с Ибн Саудом в 1924 году, и его сын, принц Мухаммед бин Абдулазиз, завоевал Медину в рамках саудовского завоевания Хиджаза 5 декабря. 1925 г. (19 Джумада I 1344 г. хиджры), который уступил место всему Хиджазу, включенному в современное Королевство Саудовская Аравия.

Под Королевством Саудовская Аравия

Королевство Саудовская Аравия уделяло больше внимания расширению города и сносу бывших объектов, которые нарушали исламские принципы и исламские законы, такие как гробницы в аль-Баки. В настоящее время город в основном имеет только религиозное значение, и поэтому, как и в Мекке, возник ряд отелей, окружающих Аль-Масджид ан-Набави, которые в отличие от Масджид Аль-Харам, оборудован подземный паркинг. Стены старого города были разрушены и заменены тремя кольцевыми дорогами, которые сегодня окружают Медину и названы в порядке длины: King Faisal Road, King Abdullah Road и King Khalid Road. На кольцевых дорогах Медины в целом меньше трафика по сравнению с четырьмя кольцевыми дорогами Мекки.

Международный аэропорт, названный Международный аэропорт принца Мохаммеда бин Абдель Азиза, теперь обслуживает город и расположен на шоссе 340, известном в местном масштабе как Old Qassim Road. В настоящее время город находится на перекрестке двух основных автомагистралей Саудовской Аравии, шоссе 60, известного как шоссе Кассим-Медина, и шоссе 15, которое соединяет город с Меккой на юге и далее и Табуком. на севере и далее, известная как шоссе Аль-Хиджра или дорога Аль-Хиджра, после путешествия Мухаммеда.

Медина с Международной космической станции, 2017. Обратите внимание, что север находится справа.

Старая османская железнодорожная система была остановлена ​​после их отъезда из региона, а старая железнодорожная станция теперь переоборудована в музей. Недавно город увидел еще одно сообщение и вид транспорта между ним и Меккой, линия высокоскоростной железной дороги Харамейн соединяет два города через Экономический город короля Абдаллы рядом с Рабиг, Международный аэропорт имени короля Абдулазиза и город Джидда менее чем за 3 часа.

Хотя священное ядро ​​старого города закрыто для немусульман, область Харам самой Медины намного меньше, чем в Мекке, и в последнее время в Медине наблюдается рост количество рабочих-мигрантов-мусульман и немусульман других национальностей, чаще всего выходцев из Южной Азии и выходцев из других стран в Совете сотрудничества стран Персидского залива. Почти весь исторический город был снесен в саудовскую эпоху. Восстановленный город сосредоточен на сильно разросшейся мечети Масджид ан-Набави.

Уничтожение наследия

Саудовская Аравия враждебно относится к уважению к историческим или религиозным местам, опасаясь, что это может вызвать ширк (идолопоклонство). Как следствие, под властью Саудовской Аравии Медина пострадала от значительного разрушения своего физического наследия, включая потерю многих зданий возрастом более тысячи лет. Критики охарактеризовали это как «саудовский вандализм» и утверждают, что за последние 50 лет в Медине и Мекке были потеряны 300 исторических мест, связанных с Мухаммедом, его семьей или товарищами. Самый известный пример этого — снос аль-Баки.

Поезд, который Фахри-паша использовал для перевозки Священных реликвий из Медины в Стамбул.

География

Гора Ухуд ночью. Гора в настоящее время является самой высокой точкой Медины и находится на высоте 1077 м (3533 футов) над уровнем моря.

Медина расположена в регионе Хиджаз, который представляет собой полосу шириной 200 км (124 мили) между Нафуд пустыня и Красное море. Расположен примерно в 720 км (447 миль) к северо-западу от Эр-Рияда, который находится в центре саудовской пустыни, город находится в 250 км (155 миль) от западного побережья Саудовской Аравии. и на высоте около 620 метров (2030 футов) над уровнем моря. Он расположен на 39º36 ‘восточной долготы и 24º28’ северной широты. Он занимает площадь около 589 квадратных километров (227 квадратных миль ). Чт Город разделен на двенадцать (12) районов, 7 из которых отнесены к городским округам, а другие 5 отнесены к категории пригородных.

Высота

Как и большинство городов региона Хиджаз, Медина расположена на очень большой высоте. Почти в три раза выше Мекки, город расположен на высоте 620 метров (2030 футов) над уровнем моря. Гора Ухуд — самая высокая вершина в Медине, ее высота составляет 1077 метров (3533 фута).

Топография

Медина — это оазис в пустыне, окруженный горами Хиджаз и вулканическими холмами. Почва, окружающая Медину, состоит в основном из базальта, а холмы, особенно заметные к югу от города, представляют собой вулканический пепел, относящийся к первому геологическому периоду палеозойской эры. Он окружен рядом известных гор, в первую очередь Джабаль аль-Худжадж (гора паломников) на западе, гора Салаа на северо-западе, Джабаль аль-Ир или гора Караван на юге и Гора Ухуд на севере. Город расположен на плоском горном плато на пересечении трех долин (вадис ) Вади-эль-Акль, Вади-аль-Акик и Вади-аль-Химдх, поэтому здесь есть большие зеленые зоны. среди засушливой пустынной горной местности.

Климат

Согласно классификации климата Кеппена, Медина попадает в жаркий климат пустыни регион ( BWh) . Лето очень жаркое, с дневными температурами в среднем около 43 ° C (109 ° F) и ночами около 29 ° C (84 ° F). С июня по сентябрь температура выше 45 ° C (113 ° F) не является чем-то необычным. Зима мягче, с температурой от 12 ° C (54 ° F) ночью до 25 ° C (77 ° F) днем. Здесь очень мало осадков, которые почти полностью выпадают с ноября по май. Летом ветер северо-западный, а весной и зимой юго-западный.

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Климатические данные для Медины (1985–2010 гг.)
Месяц	Янв	Фев	Март	Апр	Май	июн	июл	авг	сен	октябрь	ноя	дек	Год
Рекордно высокое ° C (° F)	33,2. (91,8)	36,6. (97,9)	40,0. (104,0)	43,0. (109,4)	46,0. (114,8)	47,0. (116,6)	49,0. (120,2)	48,4. (119,1)	46,4. (115,5)	42,8. (109,0)	36,8. (98,2)	32,2. (90,0)	49,0. (120,2)
Средняя высокая ° C (° F)	24,2. (75,6)	26,6. (79,9)	30,6. (87,1)	34,3. (93,7)	39,6. (103,3)	42,9. (109,2)	42,9. (109,2)	43,5. ( 110,3)	42,3. (108,1)	36,3. (97,3)	30,6. (87,1)	26,0. (78,8)	35,2. (95,4)
Среднесуточное значение ° C (° F)	17,9. (64,2)	20,2. (68,4)	23,9. (75,0)	28,5. (83,3)	33,0. (91,4)	36,3. (97,3)	36,5. (97,7)	37,1. (98,8)	35,6. (96,1)	30,4. (86,7)	24,2. (75,6)	19,8. (67,6)	28,6. (83,5)
Средняя низкая ° C (° F)	11,6. (52,9)	13,4. (56,1)	16,8. (62,2)	21,2. (70,2)	25,5. (77,9)	28,4. (83,1)	29,1. (84,4)	29,9. (85,8)	27,9. (82,2)	21,9. (71,4)	17,7. (63,9)	13,5. (56,3)	21,5. (70,7)
Запись низкой ° C (° F)	1,0. (33,8)	3,0. (37,4)	7,0. (44,6)	11,5. (52,7)	14,0. (57,2)	21,7. (71,1)	22,0. (71,6)	23,0. (73,4)	18,2. (64,8)	11,6. (52,9)	9,0. (48,2)	3,0. ( 37,4)	1,0. (33,8)
Средн. яркость осадки мм (дюймы)	6,3. (0,25)	3,1. (0,12)	9,8. (0,39)	9,6. (0,38)	5,1. (0,20)	0,1. (0,00)	1,1. (0,04)	4,0. (0,16)	0,4 ​​. (0,02)	2,5. (0,10)	10,4. (0,41)	7,8. (0,31)	60,2. (2,37)
Среднее количество дождливых дней	2,6	1,4	3,2	4,1	2,9	0,1	0,4 ​​	1,5	0,6	2,0	3,3	2,5	24,6
Средняя относительная влажность (%)	38	31	25	22	17	12	14	16	14	19	32	38	23
Источник: Региональный климатический центр Джидды

Значение в исламе

Важность Медины как религиозного объекта обусловлена ​​наличием двух мечетей, Масджид Куба и аль-Масджид ан-Набави. Обе эти мечети были построены Мухаммедом. Священные Писания ислама подчеркивают священность Медины. Медина несколько раз упоминается в Коране, два примера: Сура Ат-Тауба. стих 101 и Аль-Хашр. стих 8. Мединские суры обычно длиннее, чем их мекканские аналоги, и их количество также больше. Мухаммад аль-Бухари записал в Сахих Бухари, что Анас ибн Малик сказал, что Пророк сказал:

«Медина — это святилище от того места до этого. деревья не должны рубиться, и никакая ересь не должна обновляться, и в ней не должен совершаться какой-либо грех, и кто бы ни вводил в ней ересь или совершал грехи (плохие дела), тогда он навлечет на себя проклятие Бога, ангелов и всех остальных. людей «.

Мечеть Пророка (аль-Масджид ан-Набави)

Согласно исламской традиции, молитва в мечети Пророка приравнивается к 1000 молитв в любой другой мечети, кроме Масджид аль-Харам, где одна молитва равна 100000 молитв в любой другой мечети. Изначально мечеть представляла собой открытое пространство для молитв с приподнятым и крытым минбаром (кафедрой), построенным за семь месяцев и находившимся рядом с раудхой (резиденцией, хотя это слово буквально означает сад), рядом с ней с домами его жен. На протяжении истории мечеть несколько раз расширялась, и многие ее внутренние элементы были усовершенствованы с течением времени, чтобы соответствовать современным стандартам.

Современная мечеть Пророка известна Зеленым куполом, расположенным прямо над раудхой Пророка, который в настоящее время служит местом захоронения Мухаммеда, Абу Бакра. аль-Сиддик и Умар ибн аль-Хаттаб и используется в дорожных указателях вместе с его фирменным минаретом как символ самой Медины. Вся площадь мечети затенена от солнца 250 мембранными зонтиками.

Панорамный вид на мечеть Пророка с востока на закате.

Мечеть Куба

Мечеть Куба ночью

Сунна до совершить молитву в мечети Кубаа. Согласно хадису, Сахл ибн Хунайф сообщил, что Мухаммад сказал:

«Тот, кто очищает себя в своем доме, затем приходит в мечеть Кубы и молится в ней, он получит награду, подобную той. Паломничество в умру ».

и в другом повествовании:

« Кто бы ни вышел, пока он не придет в эту мечеть, то есть в мечеть Куба, и помолится там, это будет эквивалентно умре ».

Это ал-Бухари и Муслим записали, что Мухаммад каждую субботу ходил в Кубу, чтобы совершить два ракаата суннской молитвы. Мечеть в Кубе была построена самим Мухаммедом по прибытии в старый город Медину. Куба и мечеть косвенно упоминаются в Коране в Сура Ат-Тауба, стих 108.

Другие сайты

Масджид аль-Киблатайн

Масджид аль-Киблатайн — еще одна мечеть, исторически важная для мусульман. Мусульмане верят, что Мухаммаду было велено изменить направление молитвы (кибла ) с молитвы в сторону Иерусалима на молитву в сторону Каабы в Мекке, как он был заповедано в Суре Аль-Бакара, стихи 143 и 144. В настоящее время мечеть расширяется, чтобы вместить более 4000 прихожан.

Масджид аль-Фатх и Семь мечетей

Три из этих шести исторических мечетей недавно были объединены в более крупную Масджид аль-Фатх с открытым двором. Суннитские источники утверждают, что не существует хадисов или каких-либо других доказательств, подтверждающих, что Мухаммад мог что-то сказать о достоинствах этих мечетей.

Кладбище Аль-Баки

Аль-Баки — важное кладбище в Медине, где находятся несколько членов семьи Мухаммада, халифов и известно, что были похоронены ученые.

В исламской эсхатологии

Конец цивилизации

Что касается конца цивилизации в Медине, Абу Хурайра <46 записано, что Мухаммад сказал:

«Люди покинут Медину, несмотря на лучшее состояние, в котором она будет, и никто, кроме диких птиц и хищных зверей, не будет жить в ней. и последними, кто умрет, будут два пастуха из племени Музайна, которые будут гнать своих овец в сторону Медины, но никого не найдут в ней, и когда они достигнут долины Таният-аль-Вада’х, они падут ниц мертвыми ». (аль-Бухари, том 3, книга 30, хадис 98)

Суфьян ибн Абу Зухайр сказал, что Мухаммад сказал:

«Йемен будет завоеван, и некоторые люди будут мигрировать (из Медины) и будут убеждать свои семьи, и те, кто будут подчиняться им, мигрировать (в Йемен), хотя Медина будет для них лучше; если бы они знали. Шам также будет побежден, и некоторые люди будут мигрировать (из Медины) и будут призывать свои семьи и тех, кто будет им подчиняться, мигрировать (в Шам), хотя Медина будет для них лучше; если бы они знали. «Ирак будет завоеван, и некоторые люди мигрируют (из Медины) и будут призывать свои семьи и тех, кто будет им подчиняться, мигрировать (в Ирак) хотя Медина была бы для них лучше, если бы они знали «. (аль-Бухари, т. 3, книга 30, хадис 99)

Защита от чумы и ад-Даджжала (Ложного Мессии)

Что касается защиты Медины от чумы и ад-Даджала, следующее были записаны хадисы:

Абу Бакра :

«Ужас, вызванный Аль-Масих Ад-Даджалом, не войдет в Медину, и в то время в Медине будет семь ворот, и будут два ангела в каждые ворота охраняют их «. (аль-Бухари, том 3, книга 30, хадис 103)

Абу Хурайра:

«Есть ангелы, охраняющие входы (или дороги) в Медину, ни чума, ни Ад-Даджаль не смогут войти Это.» (аль-Бухари, том 3, книга 30, хадис 104)

Демография

Диаграмма сексуальной пирамиды Медины по состоянию на 2018 год

По состоянию на 2018 год зарегистрированное население составляло 2188138 человек с темпом роста 2,32%. Будучи местом назначения мусульман со всего мира, Медина становится свидетелем нелегальной иммиграции после совершения хаджа или умры, несмотря на строгие правила, установленные правительством. Однако комиссар Центрального хаджа принц Халид бин Фейсал заявил, что число незаконно пребывающих посетителей упало на 29% в 2018 году.

Религия

Как и в большинстве городов Саудовской Аравии. Аравия, ислам — религия, которой придерживается большинство населения Медины.

сунниты разных школ (ханафит, малики, шафииты и ханбали ) составляют большинство, тогда как в Медине и вокруг нее существует значительное шиитское меньшинство, такое как Накхавила. Помимо харама, существует значительное количество немусульманских рабочих-мигрантов и экспатов.

Культура

Подобно Мекке, Медина демонстрирует межкультурную среду, город, где люди многих национальностей и культуры живут вместе и ежедневно взаимодействуют друг с другом. Это помогает только Комплексу Короля Фахда для печати Священного Корана. Основанная в 1985 году, крупнейшее издательство Корана в мире, оно насчитывает около 1100 человек и издает 361 различную публикацию на многих языках. Сообщается, что ежегодно комплекс посещают более 400 000 человек со всего мира. Каждый посетитель получает в подарок экземпляр Корана в конце осмотра объекта.

Музеи и искусства

В музее Аль-Медины есть несколько экспонатов, касающихся культурного и исторического наследия города с различными археологическими коллекциями, визуальными галереями и редкими изображениями старого города. Он также включает Железнодорожный музей Хиджаза. Музей Дар аль-Мадина открылся в 2011 году и раскрывает историю Медины, специализируясь на архитектурном и городском наследии города. Нет никаких археологических раскопок или архитектуры времен Мухаммеда, за исключением того, что осталось от нескольких каменных оборонительных башен. На выставке Священного Корана представлены редкие рукописи Корана, а также другие выставки, окружающие Масджид ан-Набави.

Медина. Центр искусств

Центр искусств Медины, основанный в 2018 году и управляемый Культурным крылом MMDA, специализируется на современном и современном искусстве. Центр направлен на развитие искусства и обогащение художественного и культурного движения общества, расширяя возможности художников всех групп и возрастов. По состоянию на февраль 2020 года, до введения мер социального дистанцирования и комендантского часа, он провел более 13 групповых и индивидуальных художественных галерей, а также еженедельно проводил семинары и обсуждения. Центр расположен в парке короля Фахда, недалеко от мечети Кубы, на площади 8 200 квадратных метров (88 264 квадратных футов)

В 2018 году MMDA запустило Мединаский форум арабской каллиграфии, ежегодный форум, посвященный арабской каллиграфии и известным арабским каллиграфам. Мероприятие включает в себя дискуссии об арабской каллиграфии и галерею, где будут представлены работы 50 арабских каллиграфов из 10 стран. Центр Дар аль-Калам арабской каллиграфии расположен к северо-западу от мечети Масджид ан-Набави, напротив Железнодорожного музея Хиджаза. В апреле 2020 года было объявлено, что центр был переименован в Центр арабской каллиграфии принца Мохаммеда бен Салмана и преобразован в международный центр арабских каллиграфов в связи с мероприятием «Год арабской каллиграфии», организованным Министерством культуры в период с 2020 по 2021 год.

Другие проекты, запущенные Культурным крылом MMDA, включают Мединаский форум живой скульптуры, который проводится на площади Куба с участием 16 скульпторов из 11 стран. Целью форума было прославить скульптуру как древнее искусство и привлечь молодых художников к этому виду искусства.

Спорт

Саудовская Аравия известна своей страстью футбола по всему миру. В Медине находятся два футбольных клуба: Аль Ансар и Оход, с их общим домашним стадионом Стадион принца Мохаммеда бен Абдулазиза.

Экономика

Группа, представляющая Мечеть Медины. Найдено в Изнике, Турции, 18 век. Композитный корпус, силикатное покрытие, прозрачная глазурь, окрашенная подглазурная краска.

Исторически, экономика Медины зависела от продажи фиников и другой сельскохозяйственной деятельности. По состоянию на 1920 год в этом районе выращивали 139 сортов фиников, а также другие овощи. Религиозный туризм играет важную роль в экономике Медины, будучи вторым священным городом в исламе. и располагая множеством исторических исламских мест, он привлекает более 7 миллионов посетителей в год, которые приезжают совершить хадж во время сезона хаджа и умру в течение всего года.

Медина имеет две промышленные зоны, большая из которых была основана в 2003 году и имеет общую площадь 10 000 000 м 2, и управляется Саудовским управлением промышленных городов и технологических зон (MODON). Он расположен в 50 км от международного аэропорта имени принца Мохаммеда бин Абдель Азиза и в 200 км от торгового порта Янбу и имеет 236 заводов, производящих нефтепродукты, строительные материалы, продукты питания и многие другие продукты. Экономический город знаний (KEC) — это саудовская акционерная компания, основанная в 2010 году. Она специализируется на девелопменте и отраслях, основанных на знаниях. Проект находится в стадии разработки и, как ожидается, к его завершению значительно увеличит количество рабочих мест в Медине.

Человеческие ресурсы

Образование и научная деятельность

Начальное и среднее образование

Министерство образования является руководящим органом образования в провинции аль-Медина и управляет 724 и 773 государственными школами для мальчиков и девочек по всей провинции соответственно. Средняя школа Тайбы — одна из самых известных школ Саудовской Аравии. Основанная в 1942 году, это была вторая по величине школа в стране на то время. Многие министры и правительственные чиновники Саудовской Аравии окончили эту среднюю школу, что дает ей репутацию выдающейся и исторической важности.

Высшее образование и исследования

Университет Тайбы — государственный университет, дающий высшее образование для Среди жителей провинции 28 колледжей, 16 из которых находятся в Медине. Он предлагает 89 академических программ и насчитывает 69210 студентов по состоянию на 2020 год. Исламский университет, основанный в 1961 году, является старейшим высшим учебным заведением в регионе, в нем обучается около 22000 студентов. Он предлагает основные предметы по шариату, Корану, усул ад-дину, хадисам и арабскому языку. Университет предлагает степени бакалавра искусств, а также степени магистра и доктора. Прием открыт для мусульман на основе программ стипендий, предусматривающих проживание и проживание. В 2012 году университет расширил свои программы, основав Научный колледж, который предлагает специальности инженерия и информатика. Технологический колледж Аль-Мадины, который находится под управлением by TVTC, предлагает множество программ на получение степени, включая Электротехника, Машиностроение, Компьютерные науки и Электронные науки. Частные университеты в Медине включают Университет принца Мукрина, Арабский открытый университет и колледжи Аль-Райяна.

Транспорт

Воздух

Аэропорт принца Мохаммеда бин Абдулазиза

Медина обслуживается Международным аэропортом принца Мохаммада бин Абдулазиза, расположенным рядом с шоссе 340. Он обслуживает внутренние рейсы рейсы, а также регулярные международные рейсы по региональным направлениям на Ближнем Востоке. Это четвертый по загруженности аэропорт в Саудовской Аравии, обслуживший 8 144 790 пассажиров в 2018 году. Проект аэропорта был объявлен лучшим в мире на третьем ежегодном глобальном конкурсе лучших проектов Engineering News-Record, который состоялся 10 сентября 2015 года. Аэропорт также получил первый золотой сертификат Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) в регионе MENA. Аэропорт принимает большее количество пассажиров во время хаджа.

государственного автобуса в Медине на Salam Rd. Станция

Дороги

В 2015 году MMDA объявил о проекте Дарб ас-Сунна (Путь Сунны), который направлен на развитие и преобразование 3-километрового (2-х миль) шоссе Куба’а. соединяя мечеть Куба и мечеть аль-Масджид ан-Набави с проспектом, проложив всю дорогу для пешеходов и предоставив посетителям услуги. Проект также направлен на возрождение Сунны, где Мухаммед обычно ходил из своего дома (аль-Масджид ан-Набави) в Куба каждую субботу днем.

Город Медина находится в пересечение двух важнейших автомагистралей Саудовской Аравии, шоссе 60 и шоссе 15. Шоссе 15 соединяет Медину с Меккой на юге и далее и Табук и Иордания на севере. Шоссе 60 соединяет город с Янбу, портовым городом на Красном море на западе и Аль-Кассим на востоке. Город обслуживается тремя кольцевыми дорогами : King Faisal Road, 5-километровая кольцевая дорога, которая окружает Аль-Масджид ан-Набави и центральную часть города, King Abdullah Road, 27 км. Дорога, которая окружает большую часть городской Медины, и King Khalid Road — самая большая кольцевая дорога, которая окружает весь город и некоторые сельские районы с 60 км дорог.

Автобусы и скоростной транспорт

Высокоскоростная железная дорога Харамайн станция в Медине

Система автобусного транспорта в Медине была создана в 2012 году MMDA и эксплуатируется SAPTCO. Недавно созданная автобусная система включает 10 линий, соединяющих различные районы города с Масджид ан-Набави и центром города, и ежедневно обслуживает около 20 000 пассажиров. В 2017 году MMDA запустила автобусный маршрут Madinah Sightseeing Bus. Автобусы с открытым верхом доставляют пассажиров в дневные экскурсии по двум маршрутам и 11 направлениям, включая Масджид ан-Набави, мечеть Куба и Масджид аль-Киблатайн и предлагает аудиогид на 8 языках. К концу 2019 года MMDA объявила о своем плане расширения автобусной сети на 15 линий BRT. Проект должен был быть завершен в 2023 году. В 2015 году MMDA анонсировало проект трехлинейного метро в дополнение к генеральному плану общественного транспорта в Медине.

Железная дорога

Исторические османские железные дороги были закрыты, а железнодорожные станции, включая вокзал в Медине, были преобразованы правительством Саудовской Аравии в музеи. Высокоскоростная железная дорога Харамайн (HHR) вступила в строй в 2018 году, соединяя Медину и Мекку, и проходит через три станции: Джидда, Король Абдул. Международный аэропорт Азиза и Экономический город короля Абдаллы. Он проходит 444 километра (276 миль) со скоростью 300 км / ч и имеет пропускную способность 60 миллионов пассажиров в год.

Дополнительная литература

• Мубаракпури, Сафиур Рахман (2011). Запечатанный нектар: биография благородного пророка ‌‍ﷺ. Эр-Рияд :. ISBN 978-603-50011-0-6
• Мубаракпури, Сафиур Рахман (2004). История Медины Мунаввара. Эр-Рияд: издательство Darussalam Publishers. ISBN 978-996-08921-1-5
• Бадр, Абдулбасит А. (2013). Медина, Просвещенный город: история и достопримечательности. Медина: Центр исследований и исследований Аль-Мадина Аль-Мунаввара. ISBN 978-603-90414-7-4

См. Также

• Библиография по истории Медины

Ссылки

Внешние ссылки

اسْمي مَدينَةٌ — меня зовут Мадина

This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. For other uses, see Medina (disambiguation).

Medina المدينة المنورة
Al Madinah Al Munawwarah
Skyline of Medina
Medina Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 24°28′N 39°36′E / 24.467°N 39.6°ECoordinates: 24°28′N 39°36′E / 24.467°N 39.6°E
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Al Madinah Province
Government
— Mayor	Abdulaziz Bin Majid (عبدالعزيز بن ماجد)
Area
— Total	589 km2 (227.4 sq mi)
Elevation	608 m (1,995 ft)
Population (2006)
— Total	1,300,000
Time zone	Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3)

Medina (pronounced /mɛˈdiːnə/; Arabic: المدينة المنورة‎, pronounced [ælmæˈdiːnæt ælmuˈnɑw.wɑrɑ], or المدينة [ælmæˈdiːnæ]; also transliterated as Madinah; officially al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah) is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and it is historically significant for being his home after the Hijrah.

Overview

Medina currently has a population of more than 1,300,000 people (2006). It was originally known as Yathrib, an oasis city dating as far back as the 6th century BCE.^[1] It was later inhabited by Jewish refugees who fled the aftermath of the war with the Romans in the 2nd century CE. Later the city’s name was changed to Madīnat(u) ‘n-Nabiy (مدينة النبيّ «city of the prophet») or Al-Madīnat(u) ‘l-Munawwarah («the enlightened city» or «the radiant city»), while the short form Madīnah simply means «city.» Medina is celebrated for containing the mosque of Muhammad and also as the city which gave refuge to him and his followers, and so ranks as the second holiest city of Islam, after Mecca (Makkah). Muhammad was buried in Medina, under the Green Dome, as were the first two Rashidun (Rightly Guided Caliphs), Abu Bakr and Umar, who were buried in an adjacent area in the mosque.^[2]

Medina is 210 mi (340 km) north of Mecca and about 120 mi (190 km) from the Red Sea coast. It is situated in the most fertile part of all the Hejaz territory, the streams of the vicinity tending to converge in this locality. An immense plain extends to the south; in every direction the view is bounded by hills and mountains.

The city forms an oval, surrounded by a strong wall, 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12 m) high, that dates from the 12th century C.E., and is flanked with towers, while on a rock, stands a castle. Of its four gates, the Bab-al-Salam, or Egyptian gate, is remarkable for its beauty. Beyond the walls of the city, west and south are suburbs consisting of low houses, yards, gardens and plantations. These suburbs have also walls and gates.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (The mosque of the Prophet) stands at the east of the city and resembles the mosque at Mecca on a smaller scale. Its courtyard is almost 500 ft (150 m) in length, the dome is high with three picturesque minarets. The tomb of Muhammad, who died and was buried here in 632 C.E., is enclosed with a screen of iron filigree, at the south side of which the hajji goes through his devotions, with the assurance that one prayer here is as good as a thousand elsewhere.^[3]

The tombs of Fatimah (Muhammad’s daughter), across from the mosque at Jannat al-Baqi, and Abu Bakr (first caliph and the father of Muhammad’s wife, Aisha), and of Umar (Umar ibn Al-Khattab), the second caliph, are also here. The mosque dates back to the time of Muhammad, but has been twice burned and reconstructed.^[3]

Medina’s religious significance in Islam

File:The Profit Mosque.jpg

Medina’s importance as a religious site derives from the presence of the Tomb of the Prophet Muhammad inside Al-Masjid al-Nabawi or The Mosque of The Prophet. The mosque was built on a site adjacent to Muhammad’s home, and as Muslims believe that prophets must be buried at the very same place they leave this mortal world, Muhammad was buried in his house. The tomb later became part of the mosque when it was expanded by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I. The first mosque of Islam is also located in Medina and is known as Masjid Qubaʼ (the Quba Mosque). It was destroyed by lightning, probably about 850 C.E., and the graves were almost forgotten. In 892 the place was cleared up, the tombs located and a fine mosque built, which was destroyed by fire in 1257 C.E. and almost immediately rebuilt. It was restored by Qaitbay, the Egyptian ruler, in 1487.^[3]

Like Mecca, the city of Medina only permits Muslims to enter, although the haram (area closed to non-Muslims) of Medina is much smaller than that of Mecca, with the result that many facilities on the outskirts of Medina are open to non-Muslims, whereas in Mecca the area closed to non-Muslims extends well beyond the limits of the built-up area. Both cities’ numerous mosques are the destination for large numbers of Muslims on their Hajj (annual pilgrimage). Hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to Medina annually to visit the Tomb of Prophet and to worship at mosques in a unified celebration. Muslims believe that praying once in the Mosque of the Prophet is equal to praying at least 50000 times in any other mosque.

History

Pre-Jewish times

The first mention of the city dates to the 6th century BCE. It appears in Assyrian texts (namely, the Nabonidus Chronicle) as Iatribu.^[1] In the time of Ptolemy the oasis was known as Lathrippa.^[3] The first people to settle the oasis of Medina were the tribe of Banu Matraweel and Banu Hauf who trace their lineage to Shem the son of Noah. They were the first ones to plant trees and crops in the city. When the Yemenite tribes, Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj, arrived there were approximately 70 Arab tribes and 20 Jewish tribes in Medina.

Jewish tribes

Jews arrived in the city in the 2nd century CE in the wake of the Jewish–Roman wars. There were three prominent Jewish tribes which had inhabited the city till the 7th century CE: the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Qurayza, and Banu Nadir.^[4] Ibn Khordadbeh later reported that during the Persian Empire‘s domination in Hejaz, the Banu Qurayza served as tax collectors for the shah.^[5]

The Aus and Khazraj

The situation changed after the arrival from Yemen of two Arab tribes named Banu Aus (Banu Aws) and Banu Khazraj. At first, these tribes were clients of the Jews, but later they revolted and became independent.^[6] Toward the end of the 5th century,^[7] the Jews lost control of the city to Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that they did so «By calling in outside assistance and treacherously massacring at a banquet the principal Jews» Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj finally gained the upper hand at Medina.^[4]

Most modern historians accept the claim of the Muslim sources that after the revolt, the Jewish tribes became clients of the Aus and the Khazraj.^[8] According to William Montgomery Watt, the clientship of the Jewish tribes is not borne out by the historical accounts of the period prior to 627, and maintained that the Jews retained a measure of political independence.^[6]

Ibn Ishaq tells of a conflict between the last Yemenite king of the Himyarite Kingdom^[9] and the residents of Yathrib. When the king was passing by the oasis, the residents killed his son, and the Yemenite ruler threatened to exterminate the people and cut down the palms. According to ibn Ishaq, he was stopped from doing so by two rabbis from the Banu Qurayza, who implored the king to spare the oasis because it was the place «to which a prophet of the Quraysh would migrate in time to come, and it would be his home and resting-place». The Yemenite king thus did not destroy the town and converted to Judaism. He took the rabbis with him, and in Mecca, they reportedly recognized the Kaaba as a temple built by Abraham and advised the king «to do what the people of Mecca did: to circumambulate the temple, to venerate and honour it, to shave his head and to behave with all humility until he had left its precincts.» On approaching Yemen, tells ibn Ishaq, the rabbis demonstrated to the local people a miracle by coming out of a fire unscathed and the Yemenites accepted Judaism.^[10]

Civic strife

Eventually the Banu Aus and the Banu Khazraj became hostile to each other and by the time of Muhammad’s Hijra (migration) to Medina, they had been fighting for 120 years and were the sworn enemies of each other.^[11] The Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza were allied with the Aus, while the Banu Qaynuqa sided with the Khazraj.^[12] They fought a total of four wars.^[6]

Their last and bloodiest battle was the Battle of Bu’ath^[6] that was fought a few years before the arrival of Muhammad.^[4] The outcome of the battle was inconclusive, and the feud continued. Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy, one Khazraj chief, had refused to take part in the battle, which earned him a reputation for equity and peacefulness. Until the arrival of Muhammad, he was the most respected inhabitant of Yathrib.

Muhammad’s arrival

File:Quba Mosque.JPG

In 622, Muhammad and the Muhajirun left Mecca and arrived at Yathrib, an event that would transform the religious and political landscape completely; the longstanding enmity between the Aus and Khazraj tribes was dampened as many of the two tribes embraced Islam. Muhammad, linked to the Khazraj through his great grandmother, was soon made the chief and united the Muslim converts of Yathrib under the name Ansar («the Patrons» or «the Helpers»). After Muhammad’s arrival, the city gradually came to be known as Medina (literally «city» in Arabic). Some consider this name as a derivative from the Aramaic word Medinta, which the Jewish inhabitants would have used for the city.^[13]

According to Ibn Ishaq, the Muslims and Jews of the area signed an agreement, the Constitution of Medina, which committed Jewish and Muslim tribes to mutual cooperation. The nature of this document as recorded by Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern historians many of whom maintain that this «treaty» is possibly a collage of agreements, oral rather than written, of different dates, and that it is not clear exactly when they were made.^[14]

The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in Muhammad’s struggle with his opponents among the Quraysh in Mecca.

In the spring of 624, Muhammad received word from his intelligence sources that a trade caravan, commanded by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and guarded by thirty to forty men, was traveling from Syria back to Mecca. Muhammad gathered an army of 313 men, the largest army the Muslims had put in the field yet. However, many early Muslim sources, including the Qur’an, indicate that no serious fighting was expected,^[15] and the future Caliph Uthman ibn Affan stayed behind to care for his sick wife.

As the caravan approached Medina, Abu Sufyan began hearing from travelers and riders about Muhammad’s planned ambush. He sent a messenger named Damdam to Mecca to warn the Quraysh and get reinforcements. Alarmed, the Quraysh assembled an army of 900–1,000 men to rescue the caravan. Many of the Qurayshi nobles, including Amr ibn Hishām, Walid ibn Utba, Shaiba, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf, joined the army. However, some of the army was to later return to Mecca before the battle.

The battle started with champions from both armies emerging to engage in combat. The Muslims sent out Ali, Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (Obeida), and Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. The Muslims dispatched the Meccan champions in a three-on-three melee, Hamzah killed his victim on very first strike although Ubaydah was mortally wounded.^[16]

Now both armies began firing arrows at each other. Two Muslims and an unknown number of Quraysh were killed. Before the battle started, Muhammad had given orders for the Muslims to attack with their ranged weapons, and only engage the Quraysh with melee weapons when they advanced.^[17] Now he gave the order to charge, throwing a handful of pebbles at the Meccans in what was probably a traditional Arabian gesture while yelling «Defaced be those faces!»^[18][19] The Muslim army yelled «Yā manṣūr amit!»^[20] and rushed the Qurayshi lines. The Meccans, understrength and unenthusiastic about fighting, promptly broke and ran. The battle itself only lasted a few hours and was over by the early afternoon.^[18] The Qur’an describes the force of the Muslim attack in many verses, which refer to thousands of angels descending from Heaven at Badr to slaughter the Quraysh.^[19][21] Early Muslim sources take this account literally, and there are several hadith where Muhammad discusses the Angel Jibreel and the role he played in the battle.

Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (Obeida) was given the honour of «he who shot the first arrow for Islam» as Abu Sufyan ibn Harb altered course to flee the attack. In retaliation for this attack Abu Sufyan ibn Harb requested an armed force from Mecca.^[22]

Throughout the winter and spring of 623 other raiding parties were sent by Muhammad from Medina.

The Battle of Uhud

In 625, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb once again led a Meccan force against Medina. Muhammad marched out to meet the force but before reaching the battle, about one third of the troops under Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy withdrew. Nevertheless, the Muslims marched forth into battle and originally were somewhat successful in pushing the Meccans back. However, a strategic hill was lost, which allowed the Meccans to come from behind the Muslims, so they suffered defeat in the Battle of Uhud. However, the Meccans did not capitalize on their victory by invading Medina and so returned to Mecca. A group of archers were commanded to stay on the hill at the ready keeping an eye on the cavalry which was placed behind the opposing army. The battle was first in the Muslims hands, when the enemy started to retreat the archers forgot what they were told in the excitement and the cavalry was then able to ambush the Muslim army from the rear. The Muslims felt heavy losses on that day and had to seek refuge on higher land to takke care of their wounded. The Prophet Muhammad was injured badly on this day, his helmet strap and cut into his jaw, he took one side of and one of his front teeth fell out. He then took the other of and the other front teeth fell out.

The Battle of the Trench

In 627, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb once more led Meccan forces against Medina. Because the people of Medina had dug a trench to further protect the city, this event became known as the Battle of the Trench. After a protracted siege and various skirmishes, the Meccans withdrew again. During the siege, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb had contacted the remaining Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza and formed an agreement with them, to attack the defenders from behind the lines. It was however discovered by the Muslims and thwarted. This was in breach of the Constitution of Medina and after the Meccan withdrawal, Muhammad immediately marched against the Qurayza and laid siege to their strongholds. The Jews eventually surrendered. Some members of the Banu Aus now interceded on behalf of their old allies and Muhammad agreed to the appointment of one of their chiefs, Sa’d ibn Mua’dh, as judge. Sa’ad judged by Jewish Law that all male members of the tribe should be killed and the women and children taken prisoner as was the law stated in the Old Testament for treason..(Deutoronomy)^[23] This action was conceived of as a defensive measure to ensure that the Muslim community could be confident of its continued survival in Medina. The historian Robert Mantran argues that from this point of view it was successful — from this point on, the Muslims were no longer primarily concerned with survival but with expansion and conquest.^[23]

Capital city

In the ten years following the Hijra, Medina formed the base from which Muhammad attacked and was attacked, and it was from here that he marched on Mecca, becoming its ruler without battle. Even when Islamic rule was established, Medina remained for some years the most important city of Islam and the capital of the Caliphate.

Medieval Medina

Under the first four Caliphs, known as the Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs), the Islamic empire expanded rapidly and came to include historical centres of civilisation such as Jerusalem and Damascus, and Mesopotamia. After the death of Ali, the fourth caliph, the seat of the Caliph was first transferred to Damascus and later to Baghdad. Medina’s importance dwindled and it became more a place of religious importance than of political power. After the fragmentation of the Caliphate the city became subject to various rulers, including the Mamluks in the 13th century and finally, since 1517, the Ottoman Turks.

In 1256 Medina was threatened by lava flow from the last eruption of Harrat Rahat.

Modern Madinah

In the beginning of 20th century during World War I Medina witnessed one of the longest sieges in history. Medina was a city of the Ottoman Empire. Local rule was in the hands of the Hashemite clan as Sharifs or Emirs of Mecca. Fakhri Pasha was the Ottoman governor of Medina. Ali bin Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca and leader of the Hashemite clan, revolted against the caliph and sided with Great Britain. The city of Medina was besieged by his forces and Fakhri Pasha tenaciously held on during the Siege of Medina from 1916 but on 10 January 1919 he was forced to surrender. After the First World War, the Hashemite Sayyid Hussein bin Ali was proclaimed King of an independent Hejaz, but in 1924 he was defeated by Ibn Saud, who integrated Medina and Hejaz into his kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Medina Knowledge Economic City project, a city focused on knowledge-based industries, has been planned and is expected to boost development and increase the number of jobs in Medina.^[24]

The city is served by the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport which opened in 1974. It handles on average 20–25 flights a day, although this number triples during the Hajj season and school holidays.

Education

Universities include:

• Islamic University of Madinah
• Taibah University

See also

• Masjid al-Qiblatain
• Quba Mosque
• Destruction of sites associated with early Islam
• Hejazi Accent
• Jeddah
• Nakhawila
• Medina (17.11.1988) — the most beautiful girl in the world

References

External links

• Beautiful Masajids Of Madina Munawara, Details And Pictures- Completely In Persian (Farsi)
• Medina travel guide from Wikitravel
• Pictures of Medina Munawwara
• Madinah Province, A travel site with photos and routes
• Virtual Tour of the Mosque by Full View Design
• A website for beautiful photographs of The Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Al-Madinah,Saudi Arabia
• The most beautiful photographs of The Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Al-Madinah,Saudi Arabia

ace:Madinah
ar:المدينة المنورة
az:Mədinə
bn:মদিনা
bs:Medina
br:Medina
bg:Медина
ca:Medina
ceb:Medina
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cy:Medina
da:Medina
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ms:Madinah al-Munawwarah
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uk:Медіна
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vo:Mädinä
war:Medina
zh:麦地那

This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. For other uses, see Medina (disambiguation).

Medina المدينة المنورة
Al Madinah Al Munawwarah
Skyline of Medina
Medina Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 24°28′N 39°36′E / 24.467°N 39.6°ECoordinates: 24°28′N 39°36′E / 24.467°N 39.6°E
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Al Madinah Province
Government
— Mayor	Abdulaziz Bin Majid (عبدالعزيز بن ماجد)
Area
— Total	589 km2 (227.4 sq mi)
Elevation	608 m (1,995 ft)
Population (2006)
— Total	1,300,000
Time zone	Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3)

Medina (pronounced /mɛˈdiːnə/; Arabic: المدينة المنورة‎, pronounced [ælmæˈdiːnæt ælmuˈnɑw.wɑrɑ], or المدينة [ælmæˈdiːnæ]; also transliterated as Madinah; officially al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah) is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and it is historically significant for being his home after the Hijrah.

Overview

Medina currently has a population of more than 1,300,000 people (2006). It was originally known as Yathrib, an oasis city dating as far back as the 6th century BCE.^[1] It was later inhabited by Jewish refugees who fled the aftermath of the war with the Romans in the 2nd century CE. Later the city’s name was changed to Madīnat(u) ‘n-Nabiy (مدينة النبيّ «city of the prophet») or Al-Madīnat(u) ‘l-Munawwarah («the enlightened city» or «the radiant city»), while the short form Madīnah simply means «city.» Medina is celebrated for containing the mosque of Muhammad and also as the city which gave refuge to him and his followers, and so ranks as the second holiest city of Islam, after Mecca (Makkah). Muhammad was buried in Medina, under the Green Dome, as were the first two Rashidun (Rightly Guided Caliphs), Abu Bakr and Umar, who were buried in an adjacent area in the mosque.^[2]

Medina is 210 mi (340 km) north of Mecca and about 120 mi (190 km) from the Red Sea coast. It is situated in the most fertile part of all the Hejaz territory, the streams of the vicinity tending to converge in this locality. An immense plain extends to the south; in every direction the view is bounded by hills and mountains.

The city forms an oval, surrounded by a strong wall, 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12 m) high, that dates from the 12th century C.E., and is flanked with towers, while on a rock, stands a castle. Of its four gates, the Bab-al-Salam, or Egyptian gate, is remarkable for its beauty. Beyond the walls of the city, west and south are suburbs consisting of low houses, yards, gardens and plantations. These suburbs have also walls and gates.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (The mosque of the Prophet) stands at the east of the city and resembles the mosque at Mecca on a smaller scale. Its courtyard is almost 500 ft (150 m) in length, the dome is high with three picturesque minarets. The tomb of Muhammad, who died and was buried here in 632 C.E., is enclosed with a screen of iron filigree, at the south side of which the hajji goes through his devotions, with the assurance that one prayer here is as good as a thousand elsewhere.^[3]

The tombs of Fatimah (Muhammad’s daughter), across from the mosque at Jannat al-Baqi, and Abu Bakr (first caliph and the father of Muhammad’s wife, Aisha), and of Umar (Umar ibn Al-Khattab), the second caliph, are also here. The mosque dates back to the time of Muhammad, but has been twice burned and reconstructed.^[3]

Medina’s religious significance in Islam

File:The Profit Mosque.jpg

Medina’s importance as a religious site derives from the presence of the Tomb of the Prophet Muhammad inside Al-Masjid al-Nabawi or The Mosque of The Prophet. The mosque was built on a site adjacent to Muhammad’s home, and as Muslims believe that prophets must be buried at the very same place they leave this mortal world, Muhammad was buried in his house. The tomb later became part of the mosque when it was expanded by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I. The first mosque of Islam is also located in Medina and is known as Masjid Qubaʼ (the Quba Mosque). It was destroyed by lightning, probably about 850 C.E., and the graves were almost forgotten. In 892 the place was cleared up, the tombs located and a fine mosque built, which was destroyed by fire in 1257 C.E. and almost immediately rebuilt. It was restored by Qaitbay, the Egyptian ruler, in 1487.^[3]

Like Mecca, the city of Medina only permits Muslims to enter, although the haram (area closed to non-Muslims) of Medina is much smaller than that of Mecca, with the result that many facilities on the outskirts of Medina are open to non-Muslims, whereas in Mecca the area closed to non-Muslims extends well beyond the limits of the built-up area. Both cities’ numerous mosques are the destination for large numbers of Muslims on their Hajj (annual pilgrimage). Hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to Medina annually to visit the Tomb of Prophet and to worship at mosques in a unified celebration. Muslims believe that praying once in the Mosque of the Prophet is equal to praying at least 50000 times in any other mosque.

History

Pre-Jewish times

The first mention of the city dates to the 6th century BCE. It appears in Assyrian texts (namely, the Nabonidus Chronicle) as Iatribu.^[1] In the time of Ptolemy the oasis was known as Lathrippa.^[3] The first people to settle the oasis of Medina were the tribe of Banu Matraweel and Banu Hauf who trace their lineage to Shem the son of Noah. They were the first ones to plant trees and crops in the city. When the Yemenite tribes, Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj, arrived there were approximately 70 Arab tribes and 20 Jewish tribes in Medina.

Jewish tribes

Jews arrived in the city in the 2nd century CE in the wake of the Jewish–Roman wars. There were three prominent Jewish tribes which had inhabited the city till the 7th century CE: the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Qurayza, and Banu Nadir.^[4] Ibn Khordadbeh later reported that during the Persian Empire‘s domination in Hejaz, the Banu Qurayza served as tax collectors for the shah.^[5]

The Aus and Khazraj

The situation changed after the arrival from Yemen of two Arab tribes named Banu Aus (Banu Aws) and Banu Khazraj. At first, these tribes were clients of the Jews, but later they revolted and became independent.^[6] Toward the end of the 5th century,^[7] the Jews lost control of the city to Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that they did so «By calling in outside assistance and treacherously massacring at a banquet the principal Jews» Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj finally gained the upper hand at Medina.^[4]

Most modern historians accept the claim of the Muslim sources that after the revolt, the Jewish tribes became clients of the Aus and the Khazraj.^[8] According to William Montgomery Watt, the clientship of the Jewish tribes is not borne out by the historical accounts of the period prior to 627, and maintained that the Jews retained a measure of political independence.^[6]

Ibn Ishaq tells of a conflict between the last Yemenite king of the Himyarite Kingdom^[9] and the residents of Yathrib. When the king was passing by the oasis, the residents killed his son, and the Yemenite ruler threatened to exterminate the people and cut down the palms. According to ibn Ishaq, he was stopped from doing so by two rabbis from the Banu Qurayza, who implored the king to spare the oasis because it was the place «to which a prophet of the Quraysh would migrate in time to come, and it would be his home and resting-place». The Yemenite king thus did not destroy the town and converted to Judaism. He took the rabbis with him, and in Mecca, they reportedly recognized the Kaaba as a temple built by Abraham and advised the king «to do what the people of Mecca did: to circumambulate the temple, to venerate and honour it, to shave his head and to behave with all humility until he had left its precincts.» On approaching Yemen, tells ibn Ishaq, the rabbis demonstrated to the local people a miracle by coming out of a fire unscathed and the Yemenites accepted Judaism.^[10]

Civic strife

Eventually the Banu Aus and the Banu Khazraj became hostile to each other and by the time of Muhammad’s Hijra (migration) to Medina, they had been fighting for 120 years and were the sworn enemies of each other.^[11] The Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza were allied with the Aus, while the Banu Qaynuqa sided with the Khazraj.^[12] They fought a total of four wars.^[6]

Their last and bloodiest battle was the Battle of Bu’ath^[6] that was fought a few years before the arrival of Muhammad.^[4] The outcome of the battle was inconclusive, and the feud continued. Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy, one Khazraj chief, had refused to take part in the battle, which earned him a reputation for equity and peacefulness. Until the arrival of Muhammad, he was the most respected inhabitant of Yathrib.

Muhammad’s arrival

File:Quba Mosque.JPG

In 622, Muhammad and the Muhajirun left Mecca and arrived at Yathrib, an event that would transform the religious and political landscape completely; the longstanding enmity between the Aus and Khazraj tribes was dampened as many of the two tribes embraced Islam. Muhammad, linked to the Khazraj through his great grandmother, was soon made the chief and united the Muslim converts of Yathrib under the name Ansar («the Patrons» or «the Helpers»). After Muhammad’s arrival, the city gradually came to be known as Medina (literally «city» in Arabic). Some consider this name as a derivative from the Aramaic word Medinta, which the Jewish inhabitants would have used for the city.^[13]

According to Ibn Ishaq, the Muslims and Jews of the area signed an agreement, the Constitution of Medina, which committed Jewish and Muslim tribes to mutual cooperation. The nature of this document as recorded by Ibn Ishaq and transmitted by ibn Hisham is the subject of dispute among modern historians many of whom maintain that this «treaty» is possibly a collage of agreements, oral rather than written, of different dates, and that it is not clear exactly when they were made.^[14]

The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in Muhammad’s struggle with his opponents among the Quraysh in Mecca.

In the spring of 624, Muhammad received word from his intelligence sources that a trade caravan, commanded by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and guarded by thirty to forty men, was traveling from Syria back to Mecca. Muhammad gathered an army of 313 men, the largest army the Muslims had put in the field yet. However, many early Muslim sources, including the Qur’an, indicate that no serious fighting was expected,^[15] and the future Caliph Uthman ibn Affan stayed behind to care for his sick wife.

As the caravan approached Medina, Abu Sufyan began hearing from travelers and riders about Muhammad’s planned ambush. He sent a messenger named Damdam to Mecca to warn the Quraysh and get reinforcements. Alarmed, the Quraysh assembled an army of 900–1,000 men to rescue the caravan. Many of the Qurayshi nobles, including Amr ibn Hishām, Walid ibn Utba, Shaiba, and Umayyah ibn Khalaf, joined the army. However, some of the army was to later return to Mecca before the battle.

The battle started with champions from both armies emerging to engage in combat. The Muslims sent out Ali, Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (Obeida), and Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. The Muslims dispatched the Meccan champions in a three-on-three melee, Hamzah killed his victim on very first strike although Ubaydah was mortally wounded.^[16]

Now both armies began firing arrows at each other. Two Muslims and an unknown number of Quraysh were killed. Before the battle started, Muhammad had given orders for the Muslims to attack with their ranged weapons, and only engage the Quraysh with melee weapons when they advanced.^[17] Now he gave the order to charge, throwing a handful of pebbles at the Meccans in what was probably a traditional Arabian gesture while yelling «Defaced be those faces!»^[18][19] The Muslim army yelled «Yā manṣūr amit!»^[20] and rushed the Qurayshi lines. The Meccans, understrength and unenthusiastic about fighting, promptly broke and ran. The battle itself only lasted a few hours and was over by the early afternoon.^[18] The Qur’an describes the force of the Muslim attack in many verses, which refer to thousands of angels descending from Heaven at Badr to slaughter the Quraysh.^[19][21] Early Muslim sources take this account literally, and there are several hadith where Muhammad discusses the Angel Jibreel and the role he played in the battle.

Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (Obeida) was given the honour of «he who shot the first arrow for Islam» as Abu Sufyan ibn Harb altered course to flee the attack. In retaliation for this attack Abu Sufyan ibn Harb requested an armed force from Mecca.^[22]

Throughout the winter and spring of 623 other raiding parties were sent by Muhammad from Medina.

The Battle of Uhud

In 625, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb once again led a Meccan force against Medina. Muhammad marched out to meet the force but before reaching the battle, about one third of the troops under Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy withdrew. Nevertheless, the Muslims marched forth into battle and originally were somewhat successful in pushing the Meccans back. However, a strategic hill was lost, which allowed the Meccans to come from behind the Muslims, so they suffered defeat in the Battle of Uhud. However, the Meccans did not capitalize on their victory by invading Medina and so returned to Mecca. A group of archers were commanded to stay on the hill at the ready keeping an eye on the cavalry which was placed behind the opposing army. The battle was first in the Muslims hands, when the enemy started to retreat the archers forgot what they were told in the excitement and the cavalry was then able to ambush the Muslim army from the rear. The Muslims felt heavy losses on that day and had to seek refuge on higher land to takke care of their wounded. The Prophet Muhammad was injured badly on this day, his helmet strap and cut into his jaw, he took one side of and one of his front teeth fell out. He then took the other of and the other front teeth fell out.

The Battle of the Trench

In 627, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb once more led Meccan forces against Medina. Because the people of Medina had dug a trench to further protect the city, this event became known as the Battle of the Trench. After a protracted siege and various skirmishes, the Meccans withdrew again. During the siege, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb had contacted the remaining Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza and formed an agreement with them, to attack the defenders from behind the lines. It was however discovered by the Muslims and thwarted. This was in breach of the Constitution of Medina and after the Meccan withdrawal, Muhammad immediately marched against the Qurayza and laid siege to their strongholds. The Jews eventually surrendered. Some members of the Banu Aus now interceded on behalf of their old allies and Muhammad agreed to the appointment of one of their chiefs, Sa’d ibn Mua’dh, as judge. Sa’ad judged by Jewish Law that all male members of the tribe should be killed and the women and children taken prisoner as was the law stated in the Old Testament for treason..(Deutoronomy)^[23] This action was conceived of as a defensive measure to ensure that the Muslim community could be confident of its continued survival in Medina. The historian Robert Mantran argues that from this point of view it was successful — from this point on, the Muslims were no longer primarily concerned with survival but with expansion and conquest.^[23]

Capital city

In the ten years following the Hijra, Medina formed the base from which Muhammad attacked and was attacked, and it was from here that he marched on Mecca, becoming its ruler without battle. Even when Islamic rule was established, Medina remained for some years the most important city of Islam and the capital of the Caliphate.

Medieval Medina

Under the first four Caliphs, known as the Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs), the Islamic empire expanded rapidly and came to include historical centres of civilisation such as Jerusalem and Damascus, and Mesopotamia. After the death of Ali, the fourth caliph, the seat of the Caliph was first transferred to Damascus and later to Baghdad. Medina’s importance dwindled and it became more a place of religious importance than of political power. After the fragmentation of the Caliphate the city became subject to various rulers, including the Mamluks in the 13th century and finally, since 1517, the Ottoman Turks.

In 1256 Medina was threatened by lava flow from the last eruption of Harrat Rahat.

Modern Madinah

In the beginning of 20th century during World War I Medina witnessed one of the longest sieges in history. Medina was a city of the Ottoman Empire. Local rule was in the hands of the Hashemite clan as Sharifs or Emirs of Mecca. Fakhri Pasha was the Ottoman governor of Medina. Ali bin Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca and leader of the Hashemite clan, revolted against the caliph and sided with Great Britain. The city of Medina was besieged by his forces and Fakhri Pasha tenaciously held on during the Siege of Medina from 1916 but on 10 January 1919 he was forced to surrender. After the First World War, the Hashemite Sayyid Hussein bin Ali was proclaimed King of an independent Hejaz, but in 1924 he was defeated by Ibn Saud, who integrated Medina and Hejaz into his kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Medina Knowledge Economic City project, a city focused on knowledge-based industries, has been planned and is expected to boost development and increase the number of jobs in Medina.^[24]

The city is served by the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport which opened in 1974. It handles on average 20–25 flights a day, although this number triples during the Hajj season and school holidays.

Education

Universities include:

• Islamic University of Madinah
• Taibah University

See also

• Masjid al-Qiblatain
• Quba Mosque
• Destruction of sites associated with early Islam
• Hejazi Accent
• Jeddah
• Nakhawila
• Medina (17.11.1988) — the most beautiful girl in the world

References

External links

• Beautiful Masajids Of Madina Munawara, Details And Pictures- Completely In Persian (Farsi)
• Medina travel guide from Wikitravel
• Pictures of Medina Munawwara
• Madinah Province, A travel site with photos and routes
• Virtual Tour of the Mosque by Full View Design
• A website for beautiful photographs of The Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Al-Madinah,Saudi Arabia
• The most beautiful photographs of The Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Al-Madinah,Saudi Arabia

ace:Madinah
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war:Medina
zh:麦地那

Город
Медина
المدينة المنورة‎
24°28′ с. ш. 39°36′ в. д.HGЯO
Страна	Саудовская Аравия
Административный округ	Медина
Глава	Фейсал ибн Салман Аль Сауд
История и география
Прежние названия	Ясриб
Площадь	589 км²
Высота центра	608 м
Часовой пояс	UTC+3
Население
Население	1 102 728 человек (2010)
Конфессии	мусульмане
Официальный язык	арабский
amana-md.gov.sa
Медина
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Меди́на^[1] (араб. المدينة المنورة‎, Эль-Мадина-эль-Мунаввара^[2], или араб. المدينة‎, Эль-Мадина^[2]) — город в исторической области Хиджаз в западной части Саудовской Аравии. В настоящее время его население — 1 102 728 чел. (по оценке 2010 года)^[3].

Ранее Медина называлась Ясриб, но потом она стала называться Madīnat an-Nabī (المدينة النبوية «город пророка»), или al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah («просвещённый город» или «блистательный город»), а краткая форма «Медина» означает просто «город». Медина — второй священный город ислама после Мекки.

Её религиозное значение велико из-за присутствия в ней святыни пророка Мухаммеда у мечети пророка, известной как купол пророка, или «зелёный купол», построенного рядом с домом пророка Мухаммада. Его дом позднее стал частью мечети, когда её надстроил халиф из династии Омейядов Абд аль-Малик.

Первая мечеть ислама также находится неподалёку от Медины и называется Мечеть Аль-Куба.

Многочисленные мечети в обоих городах являются целью паломничества большого количества мусульман. Немусульманам запрещено находиться в городе^[4].

Климат

Климат Медины очень жаркий, средние температуры с июня по сентябрь превышают +35 °C, а дневная температура в отдельные дни может превышать +45 °C. Кроме того, близость Красного моря нередко делает жару в городе влажной и крайне тяжело переносимой.

Климат Медины относится к тропическому пустынному. Осадки в Медине очень редкие: за год выпадает всего 50 мм осадков, что делает Медину одним из наиболее сухих крупных городов мира. Осадки выпадают только в осенне-зимний период.

В зимние месяцы температура более переносимая, днём умеренно тёплая погода, ночи бывают прохладными.

История

В доисламский период Ясриб был крупнейшим еврейским центром на Аравийском полуострове. Согласно преданиям, еврейское поселение в городе восходит ко времени войны Моисея с амалекитянами, пленения вавилонского, гонений Антиоха IV или Иудейской войны I. В первых веках н. э. население Медины состояло преимущественно из кланов, исповедовавших иудаизм. Кланы были еврейского, смешанного еврейско-арабского и арабского происхождения. От этого периода сохранились остатки укрепленных сооружений и стен.

Позднее в оазис продолжали прибывать арабы, часть из них ассимилировалась в среде иудеев и перенимала навыки и ремесла, в том числе письменность. К 6 веку между арабами и евреями усиливалось противостояние, которое по легенде началось с восстания арабского клана Хазраджа возмущенного требованием еврейского царя Файтуна осуществить право первой ночи. Постепенно господствующее положение перешло к арабам. Однако большинством населения к прибытию Мухаммада в 622 году оставались евреи. Большинство арабов оазиса приняло религию Мухаммада ислам, тогда как только немногие евреи приняли притязания пророка на роль религиозного лидера. В 624 и 625 году из города были последовательно изгнаны кланы Кайнука и Надир. В 627 г. все мужчины клана Курайза были убиты, а женщины и дети проданы в рабство.^[5]

Пророк Мухаммад скончался в Медине в 632 г.

Примечания

Литература

на русском языке

• Медина / Воропаев А. И. (экономика), Рощин М. Ю. (история), Стародуб Т. Х. (архитектура) // Маниковский — Меотида. — М. : Большая российская энциклопедия, 2012. — С. 488. — (Большая российская энциклопедия : [в 35 т.] / гл. ред. Ю. С. Осипов ; 2004—2017, т. 19). — ISBN 978-5-85270-353-8.
• Густерин П. В. Города Арабского Востока. — М.: Восток—Запад, 2007. — 352 с. — (Энциклопедический справочник). — 2000 экз. — ISBN 978-5-478-00729-4.
• Мекка и Медина — два священных города ислама. СПб.; М., 2007.

на других языках

• Esin E. Mecca the Blessed, Madinah the Radiant. L., 1963;
• King G. R. D. The historical mosques of Saudi Arabia. L., 1986;
• Sauvaget J. La mosquée omeyyade de Médine. P., 1947;
• The architecture of the Prophet’s holy mosque Al Madinah. L., 1998;

Ссылки

• Густерин П. МЕДИНА
• В Медине открылся отель Al Muna Kareem Radisson Blu (недоступная ссылка)
• Мечеть Пророка в Мадине — вторая святыня ислама. История и структура мечети. Могила Пророка
• Город пророка
• Медина (недоступная ссылка)