- Visiting mosques and monuments is part of the tour program for the millions of visitors Madinah receives a year
RIYADH: Mosques and historical monuments in Madinah have proved a big hit during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, attracting huge numbers of visitors.
Visiting mosques and monuments is part of the tour program for the millions of visitors Madinah receives a year due to its high religious status as the site of the Prophet’s Mosque, one of the Two Holy Mosques.
The city has undergone renovation and expansion, including at the Uhud Martyrs’ Square, which commemorates the Battle of Uhud in the third year of migration by Prophet Muhammed and his companions from Makkah to Madinah.
Visitors can also ascend Archers’ Mountain overlooking the Sayyid Al-Shuhada Mosque, which has recently undergone extensive expansion to accommodate 15,000 worshipers.
The Quba Mosque, which is considered the first built by the Prophet after his migration to Madinah, also receives large numbers of visitors.
Expansion work will double the Quba’s capacity, as will work at the Qiblatain Mosque of the Two Qiblas, where the revelation came down to the Prophet in the second year of migration during noon prayers.
Also popular is the Al-Fateh Mosque at the foot of Mount Silaa, opened a few years ago at the site of defense works dug during the invasion of Al-Ahzab in the month of Shawwal in the fifth year of migration.
Madinah’s other historical and archaeological sites include Al-Ghamama, Al-Ijabah, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Al-Suqia mosques.
Dr. Waquar A. Khan, who teaches at the Taibah University in Madinah, told Arab News that the city is well cared for.
“We, with family and friends and our visiting guests from other cities in the Kingdom, visit these landmarks during Eid holiday as well as during other vacations with the purpose to enrich our experience and learn more about our Islamic history and culture,” he said.
— Reprinted with permission of Arab News.