Madinah: prophetic history

The journey in one line

6 stops in Saudi Arabia. Complete means all 6 visited.

Makkah is where the Hajj happens. Madinah is where the story happened. The Prophet Muhammad spent the last ten years of his life in this city, and the places on this list are where the events people read about took place. Ziyarah, the visit, is not part of the Hajj and carries none of its obligations. Most pilgrims add a few days in Madinah before or after, and local guides have run roughly this same six-stop circuit for generations. The city is open. Only the premises of the Prophet's Mosque carry the entry restriction that Saudi terms set, and that rule is specific to those premises.

Everything here is close together. Quba is where the Prophet stopped before entering the city; the mosque he then built is three kilometres away; the trench was dug on the edge of what was then the settlement; Uhud is four kilometres north. You can see the whole of an early Muslim community's geography in one afternoon. The buildings have all been rebuilt, some many times over. What is old is the ground and the arrangement of it, which is why local sources describe distances and directions as carefully as they describe architecture.

Most people come by road from Makkah or by the Haramain high-speed train from Jeddah. The six stops sit inside a ten kilometre radius and a half day covers them, though the Prophet's Mosque takes longer than people plan for. Prayer times govern access at every mosque on the list. The Madinah Development Authority publishes each place with a virtual tour, which is a fair way to see the interiors if you are not able to enter.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. All six places visited. Entry to the Prophet's Mosque premises is restricted; the other five stand in the open city. No claim is made about prayer, ziyarah or anything else you did there.

1. 1

   The Prophet's Mosque

   المسجد النبوي

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   The Prophet Muhammad built this mosque on arriving in Madinah in 622, and he is buried inside it under the green dome. The Madinah Development Authority calls it the second holiest mosque in Islam. Successive expansions have pushed the courtyards out across several city blocks, and the retractable umbrellas over them are now as recognisable as the dome.

   What counts as a visit

   Inside the mosque premises, including the courtyards.

   Access

   Madinah itself is open to visitors. Saudi entry terms restrict the premises of the Prophet's Mosque to Muslims; that rule is specific to those premises and is not applied to the rest of the city. Checked 2026-09-16.

   Faith restricted

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

2. 2

   Quba Mosque

   مسجد قباء

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   Quba is the first mosque built in Islam. The Prophet stopped here before entering Madinah and laid its foundation, and the Quran refers to a mosque founded on righteousness from the first day. A three kilometre walking trail now links Quba to the Prophet's Mosque, following the route he took.

   What counts as a visit

   The mosque and its courtyard.

   Access

   Quba is a working mosque with prayer times that govern access. Check the official page before travelling. Checked 2026-09-16.

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

3. 3

   Masjid al-Qiblatayn

   مسجد القبلتين

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   The name means the mosque of the two qiblas. The Prophet was praying here in 2 AH when the direction of prayer was changed from Jerusalem to the Kaaba, and he turned mid-prayer. The building stands about four kilometres north west of the Prophet's Mosque and has been rebuilt several times since.

   What counts as a visit

   The mosque and its courtyard.

   Access

   A working mosque; prayer times govern access. Checked 2026-09-16.

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

4. 4

   Mount Uhud and the Martyrs of Uhud

   جبل أحد

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   Uhud is a seven kilometre ridge of red and dark rock four kilometres north of the Prophet's Mosque, standing apart from the hills around it. The Battle of Uhud was fought at its foot in 3 AH, and seventy companions including Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib are buried at the Martyrs' Square beneath it. Archers' Hill, the small rise the Prophet posted archers on, looks over the whole site.

   What counts as a visit

   The Martyrs' Square and the public viewing areas at the foot of the mountain.

   Access

   An open site with a burial ground. Visitors are asked to keep to the marked areas. Checked 2026-09-16.

   A place of reflection

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

5. 5

   The Seven Mosques

   المساجد السبعة

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   A cluster of small mosques at the foot of Mount Sila', on the line of the trench dug to defend Madinah during the Battle of the Trench in 5 AH. They were built long after the event, each named for a companion who held part of the line. The Madinah Development Authority notes that they were six until al-Qiblatayn was added to visitor itineraries and the name settled at seven.

   What counts as a visit

   The mosque cluster and the trench site beside it.

   Access

   Small working mosques on an open site. Checked 2026-09-16.

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

6. 6

   Al-Baqi Cemetery

   بقيع الغرقد

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   Al-Baqi lies against the south east wall of the Prophet's Mosque and has been Madinah's burial ground since the Prophet chose it. Around ten thousand companions are buried here, among them several of the Mothers of the Believers, the Prophet's daughters, his son Ibrahim and the caliph Uthman ibn Affan. The ground is deliberately unmarked, which surprises first-time visitors.

   What counts as a visit

   The cemetery and the public viewing area beside the Prophet's Mosque.

   Access

   A working burial ground next to the Prophet's Mosque. Opening times are set by the mosque authorities and change; check the official page. Checked 2026-09-16.

   A place of reflection

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

Respect and access

Saudi entry terms restrict the premises of the Prophet's Mosque to Muslims. Nothing on this list applies that rule to the rest of Madinah or to any other mosque. Al-Baqi and the Martyrs of Uhud are burial grounds, and the mood at both is quiet. Dress conservatively across the city. Photography inside mosque premises is limited and the rules change; look for the signs rather than assuming.

Faith restricted

The custodian limits entry by religion. Check the official terms before you travel. TravelDay does not ask what you believe and does not decide whether you qualify.

A place of reflection

This is a memorial or a site of atrocity. Visitors are asked to be quiet, to follow the custodian's guidance on photography, and to treat it as somewhere people grieve.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/about-us
• visa.visitsaudi.comhttps://visa.visitsaudi.com/Home/TermsConditions
• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/The-Prophet's-Mosque · checked September 16, 2026
• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/Quba-Mosque · checked September 16, 2026
• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/Al-Qiblatain-Mosque · checked September 16, 2026
• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/Mount-Uhud- · checked September 16, 2026
• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/The-Seven-Mosques · checked September 16, 2026
• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/Baqi'-Al-Gharqad- · checked September 16, 2026

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.