Al ‘Awālī

The name translates as the Enlightened City, but is better known as Medina. This is the prophet's city where Mohammed made his home after departing Mecca. It is the 2nd holiest place in Islam after Mecca.
The 1st picture is the Quba Mosque. This is said to date to 622 CE and is the 1st mosque ever built. So it is directly associated with Mohammed. It is 2nd only to the Prophets Mosque. As non-Muslims, we were not allowed inside.
The 2nd picture is the Quba walkway. This is a pedestrian walkway the runs from the Quba Mosque to Al-Haram, the area around the Mosque of the Prophet in the 3rd picture. Al-Haram is an area forbidden to non-Muslins.
The 3rd picture is the Mosque of the Prophet. It is the largest and most important mosque in Medina. Mohammed built this mosque initially (there have many expansions and improvements over the centuries), and he is buried here. This is the 2nd largest and 2nd most important after Mecca where the Kaaba is located.
The 4th picture is a brick mosque, the only one like it I saw here
The rest of the pictures are cityscapes of the very modern city of Medina.Read more