Madinah Landmarks: Quba, Uhud and Qiblatain

Photo: Diego Delso, delso.photo, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 license (cropped from the original with slight contrast adjustment).

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Madinah is the city that welcomed the Prophet, peace be upon him, after his migration, and it holds his sacred mosque. Visitors hold its landmarks dear, and the sites are spread out, so a car with a driver makes visiting easier, especially for the elderly and families.

The Prophet's Mosque and the Rawdah.

The second greatest mosque in Islam after the Grand Mosque, built by the Prophet, peace be upon him, as soon as he arrived in Madinah. At its front lies the Blessed Rawdah, the area between his house and his pulpit, which he called "a meadow of Paradise". Visiting the Rawdah requires a prior permit issued through the Nusuk platform, so arrange it before your visit day.

Quba Mosque.

The first mosque built in Islam, whose foundation stone the Prophet, peace be upon him, laid with his own hands, and which God praised in the Quran (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 108). The Prophet used to visit it every Saturday. Today a walking trail of about three kilometres connects it to the Prophet's Mosque.

Mount Uhud and the martyrs' area.

The mountain of which the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Uhud is a mountain that loves us and we love it." At its foot the Battle of Uhud took place in the third year after the Hijrah, where seventy companions were martyred, foremost among them Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib. The area holds the Uhud martyrs' cemetery and the Archers' Mount overlooking it. It lies about four kilometres north of the Prophet's Mosque. The area is open, and early morning is the best time to visit.

Qiblatain Mosque.

Witness to a historic moment in the second year after the Hijrah: while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was leading the Dhuhr prayer, the command came down to change the qibla from Bayt al-Maqdis to the Kaaba, and he turned mid-prayer. From that moment the mosque took its name.

Before you set out.

Start in the morning to avoid the midday sun, carry water and a hat, and wear comfortable shoes. Agree with the trip operator on the sites you want, their order and how long to stop at each.