One of the most visited cities in the world, Madinah is a metropolis that has attracted visitors from around the world for well over a millennium. Known variously as Yathrib, Taibah, and Tabah, Madinah became famous as the "city" with the arrival of the Prophet of Islam, Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him). Ever since, it has held a special place in the hearts, heritage, and lives of Muslims all around the world.
This was where the Prophet built the first mosque of Islam, Al Masjid al Nabawi, the most visited place of worship after the Holy Ka'aba in Mecca. This is the city that he adopted as his home, a city he loved, and one that was bestowed with the honor of becoming his final resting place.
Known popularly as Al Madinah Al Munawarah, the city is located in the North-Western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 250 km east of the fabled Red Sea. A desert oasis surrounded by mountains, this ancient city has been blessed with abundant water supplies and a fertile land. All these and natural roads and paths that linked it to old trade routes made Madinah an important center of traders and businessmen from around the region. Its distinct characteristics and multi-cultural populace lent it a unique position in the region, enriched by a history and civilization that spanned a thousand years before Christ.
It is this ancient legacy, enhanced by the city's inherent willingness to welcome visitors from near and far, that makes Madinah so unique and distinct. Fourteen centuries after Prophet Mohammed made the city his home, the streets of this phenomenal city still reverberate with his ideals, making it a center where cultures come together, mingling and learning from each other, and receiving both spiritual and temporal enlightenment.
