Ziyarat in Madinah: the places worth your time

Most of a stay in Madinah is spent in and around the Prophet's Mosque, as it should be. Much of the Seerah took place within a short drive of the centre, and a morning or two is enough to see most of it.

Quba Mosque

The first mosque built in Islam, about three kilometres south of the Prophet's Mosque. The Prophet ﷺ came to it every Saturday, riding or on foot, and said: "Whoever purifies himself in his house, then comes to the mosque of Quba and prays in it, has a reward like that of an Umrah" (Ibn Majah).

It's a short taxi ride, or a walk along the Quba walkway that joins the two mosques. Go on a Saturday morning, following the Sunnah, and make wudu at your hotel before you set off.

Mount Uhud and its martyrs

North of the city, where the battle of Uhud was fought in the third year after the Hijrah. At its foot lie the martyrs of Uhud, among them Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's ﷺ uncle. Facing them is the Archers' Hill, where the archers stood on the day of the battle, and beside them the Sayyid al-Shuhada Mosque.

Go early in the morning, before the heat. An hour is enough.

Masjid al-Qiblatayn

In the north-west of the city, the mosque where the qibla turned from Jerusalem to the Kaaba during a prayer. It holds the daily prayers, so visit between them.

The Seven Mosques and the Trench

Near Mount Sal', a cluster of small mosques marks the site of the Battle of the Trench. The largest, Masjid al-Fath, stands where the Prophet ﷺ made du'a during the siege.

Al-Baqi

The city's cemetery, beside the Prophet's Mosque to the south-east, where many of the Companions and the Prophet's ﷺ family are buried. It opens to men at set times each day, posted at the gate.

Museums

• The International Fair and Museum of the Prophet's Biography, south of the Prophet's Mosque: interactive halls on the Seerah and models of Makkah and Madinah in the Prophet's ﷺ time, explained in Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Indonesian and more.
• Dar Al Madinah Museum: the story of the city and its landmarks, with detailed models of the Prophet's Mosque in its early years.
• The Hejaz Railway Museum, in the old station of the line that once ran from Damascus to Madinah.
• The King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran, on the Tabuk road, where visitors see how copies of the Quran, and translations of its meanings in many languages, are made.

Opening hours change with the seasons, so check them before you go.

Fitting it in

Keep the visits for the mornings between Fajr and Dhuhr, when it's cooler and the roads are quiet. A taxi or a ride-hailing app takes you to each place, and many hotels can arrange a car and driver for half a day.

None of these visits is part of Umrah. Put the prayers in the Prophet's Mosque first, and fit the visits around them.