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Known both as Medina and Madinah, officially this city, which is the second holiest city in Islam is called Al Madinah Al Munawwarah. It’s located inland from the central western coast of Saudi Arabia.
International flights to Madinah arrive at the Madinah Abdulaziz Airport (airport code: MED), also called Prince Mohammad Airport. The airport is open to non-Muslims wishing to come to Medina and although there are several options for flights to Madinah from the UK, many pilgrims coming on the Hajj prefer to fly into Jeddah and then take a special bus from there. From the UK there are no direct flights to Madinah but you can fly indirectly with British Airways, Egyptair, BMI, and Turkish Airlines with one stop, often in Istanbul.
Madinah Tourist Attractions
Whether you call it Madinah or Medina this is the second holiest city in Islam, after Mecca, and is a very popular place of pilgrimage during the Hajj. It is the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and home of the first mosque of Islam, the Quba Mosque.Although Medina is a fascinating place for non-Muslims, the centre of the city, and the city’s main attraction is off limits to non-Muslims. This tradition is strictly enforced and if you try to enter the centre of the city without proof that you are a Muslim you will be denied entry and may be forcibly deported from the country. Non-Muslims should not be put off visiting Madinah altogether though, as the airport and many parts of the city are open to non-Muslims. Whether you would want to visit considering you can’t see the main attraction is up to you, but for those of you who are Muslim, here is more information on what you can see in Medina.
The Quba Mosque
Quba’ Masjid, or Quba Mosque is the oldest mosque in Saudi Arabia whose first stones were laid by the Prophet Muhammad when he arrived in Medina from Mecca. There were plans to enlarge the mosque and keep parts of the original though unfortunately the original mosque ended up being completely torn down to make way for the much larger and more modern version that you’ll see here today, dating from 1986.
Mosque of the Prophet
Though the Quba Mosque is a very important site within Madinah, the Mosque of the Prophet is even more important. Known as Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Mosque of the Prophet is the second holiest site in Islam and is also the second largest mosque in the world. As well as being significantly important to Muslims, the mosque is stunningly beautiful and is built on the site of an original mosque that was built by Muhammad in 622AD.
The normal capacity of the Prophet’s Mosque is 600,000 people though this is increased to 1 million during the hajj.
The Prophet is buried here, and men are allowed to visit the burial site throughout the day, while women can only visit following the afternoon or evening prayers.