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Medina

Administration
Full nameMedina
Official nameAl Madinah Al Munawwarah
al-Madinat al-Nabi
Native name 
CountrySaudi Arabia
ProvinceAl Madinah Province
Government
MayorAbdulaziz Bin Majid (عبدالعزيز بن ماجد)
Geography
Total Area227.4 sq mi (589 km2)
Elevation1995 ft (608.1 m)
Demography
Total Population1300000 (2006)
Other information
Time zoneArabia Standard Time (UTC+3)

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Medina (-enmɛˈdiːnə; , , “the radiant city” (officially), or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and it is historically significant for being his home after the Hijrah. Before the advent of Islam, the city was known as Yathrib, but was personally renamed by Muhammad.

Medina is home to the three oldest mosques in Islam, namely; Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque), Quba Mosque (the first mosque in Islam's history), and Masjid al-Qiblatain (the mosque where the qibla was switched to Mecca).

Because of the Saudi government's religious policy and concern that historic sites could become the focus for idolatry, much of Medina's Islamic physical heritage has been destroyed since the beginning of Saudi rule.

The Islamic calendar is based on the emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina, which marks the start of the Hijri year in 622 CE, called Hijra (هجرة).

Similarly to Mecca, entrance to Medina is restricted to Muslims only; non-Muslims are neither permitted to enter nor travel through the city. Muslims believe that the latter verses of the Quran were revealed in Medina and its surrounding outskirts, called the medinan suras.


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