The prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, chose this place to be a graveyard for his companions. Around 10,000 of the honorable companions were buried there. Because of the large number of righteous people who were buried in this cemetery, it is called Al-Baqi' Garden.

The story of Baqi Al-Gharqad: Al-Baqi&rsquo; was a piece of land densely covered with nitre bushes (Ar. gharqad), outside Madinah, to the east of the prophet&rsquo;s Mosque. The prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, turned it established it as a cemetery for Muslims. So, the bushes were uprooted. Due to urbanization and growth of Madinah, the cemetery is now located inside the city. Residents of Madinah visit the cemetery as it reminds them of the hereafter, to greet the dead who were buried there and to pray for them. Historic milestone: Around 10,000 of the prophet's companions were buried in Al-Baqi, including some of the mothers of the believers, the daughters of the prophet, his son Ibrahim, and Othman ibn Affan - one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. The prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, used to visit Al-Baqi' and pray for the dead, as he was ordered to do so by Allah. Al-Baqi cemetery in history: In the initial stage, the area of the cemetery was estimated at 80 square meters. Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan was the first to expand it. Then several expansions followed until it covered an area of approximately 180,000 square meters. It is expected that its area will reach 300,000 square meters. During the reign of King Faisal ibn Abdulaziz, a total area of 5,929 square meters was annexed to Al-Baqi&rsquo;. Two doors were also opened from the northern side in addition to the two western doors. In 1390AH, a concrete wall was erected around the cemetery, and concrete paths were built inside it. During the reign of King Fahd ibn Abdulaziz, it was expanded on the eastern and southern sides. It was also surrounded by an outer wall, 4 meters high and 1,700 meters long. A large gate, comprising a special section for funeral preparations was also constructed on the western side. After the last expansion, the area of Al-Baqi reached 180,000 meters. How to visit Al-Baqi? Visiting Al-Baqi is available to men and children. The best time to visit it is after the obligatory prayers. Visitors shall follow sharia manners for visiting graves. Signs detailing these manners are placed in Al-Baqi. Visitors shall especially avoid throwing grains to the pigeons.

Baqi' Al-Gharqad 

It is located in the prophet’s Mosque.  The library receives more than 700,000 visitors annually. Historically, it was established more than eighty years ago, and is one of the most prominent scholarly and cultural destinations in the region.

From Preserving Endowment Books to Scholarly Leadership: The Library was established at the suggestion of the Director of Endowments during the reign of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz, with the aim of preserving endowment books in the prophet&rsquo;s Mosque at the time, and to demonstrate the civilization dimension of the prophet&rsquo;s Mosque and Madinah in the Islamic world. Library Holdings: It is a public library, established in 1352 AH in the prophet&rsquo;s Mosque. The Library has an area of 744 m2 and can accommodate 300 visitors. It contains more than 172,000 books, under more than 70 categories and more than eight indexing sections for classification of books and rare books in the various branches of Arabic and Islamic scholarly fields. Serving Knowledge in Various Ways: The numerous advantages of the Library include: ● Rooms equipped to receive men, women and children to read and research. ● A section for rare manuscripts. ● An audio library. ● Technical sections for binding, preserving and sterilizing of manuscripts. ● Offering the various research techniques and reading options. ● availability of on-screen reading options. Benefiting from the Library: Visitors can benefit from the library through: ● Benefiting from the magnitude and quality of library holdings, such as books and manuscripts. ● Benefiting from the well-equipped reading rooms. ● Using the quality indexing techniques and technical devices available to facilitate the job of researchers. Library Visitors: The library is suitable for all researchers and ordinary readers, including men, women, and children, wishing to benefit from the library holdings. Getting to the Library: Men's area is located in the upper floor of the library and can be accessed through the escalator, Gate No. 10. Women's area is located in the northeastern prayer hall at Gate No. 24 and the northwest prayer hall at Gate No. 16. The library is open to visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Prophet's Mosque Library

It is the house of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in which he lived throughout his Madinah period. It witnessed many of the episodes of his life, too. The prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, also received Quranic revelations in this room. Hence, Allah honored it to become the burial place of the prophet's honorable body.

Witness to the Prophet's Life: The room was located to the east of the Prophet's Mosque. It was a modest construction, made of palm branches and mud bricks. It had a door that led to the Blessed Rawdah.&nbsp;The Prophet (ﷺ) lived in this room. He also ran his state and conveyed his message from this room. It was also the place where he worshipped his Lord. The walls of this room witnessed the kindness of the prophet to his family and companions. During his last illness, he loved to be treated in this room, rather than in any other. Inside that room, his soul departed his good body to move to the Almighty. He was washed, then his companions offered funeral prayers and buried him inside this room. Later on, his two companions, Abu Bakr and Omar, may Allah be pleased with them, were buried next to him. Historical Significance: No spot on our planet is more blessed than the spot that contained the Prophet's body (ﷺ). All rooms of mothers of the believers were demolished in the&nbsp;expansion of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque during the reign of Al-Walid ibn Abdulmalik, except for Aisha&rsquo;s room because it contained the blessed grave of the Prophet (ﷺ). Muslims still honor and preserve this room out of respect, loyalty and love for their prophet. They also preserve the two graves of his companions. Care for the Room Throughout History: Omar ibn Al-Khattab ordered the construction of a wall to replace the palm fronds. Omar ibn Abdulaziz rebuilt the whole room with black stones, then ordered the construction of a five-sided wall around it to differentiate it from the Kaaba. In 668AH, a wooden cabin with three doors was constructed. In 678AH Mohammad ibn Qalawun Al-Salihi, ordered a dome to be built on top of the room. The cabin was later fitted with copper and iron windows. At a later stage, the dome was painted green, a practice that still stands today. The Room in the Saudi Era: Since the reign of King Abdulaziz, the Saudi state has paid great attention to the blessed chamber and the green dome. It has preserved the old building and regularly maintains the chamber and repaints the dome. These tasks are assigned only to those whose religious observance and honesty can be trusted. How to visit the room: Entry into the blessed room is not allowed. Visitors stand in front of the grave (muwajahah) to greet the prophet (ﷺ). Alternatively, they can greet him as they pray in the Rawdah. They shall also&nbsp;invoke blessings on the Prophet and greet his two companions, recalling his noble life and sunnah, and longing for meeting him in the hereafter. <div id="gtx-trans" style="position: absolute; left: 32px; top: -14px;">&nbsp;</div> <div id="gtx-trans" style="position: absolute; left: 32px; top: -14px;">&nbsp;</div>

The Prophet's Chamber

The Blessed Rawdah: it is paradise on earth, where an exhausted person finds serenity and peace. Here you can hear the moans and sense the sincere hopes of people at prayer.  

A Garden from Paradise: The Blessed Rawdah is part of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque. It is located at the front of the mosque and extends from the Prophet's&nbsp;house (the Blessed Chamber) to his pulpit. The Prophet says, "Between my house and my pulpit is a meadow of the Paradise." Acts of worship, such as prayer, supplication, remembrance, reciting the Qur&rsquo;an, etc. are prescribed in this blessed spot. Area: The distance between the pulpit and the blessed chamber is about 26.5 meters. The yellow copper enclosure around the&nbsp;Blessed Chamber obscures part of the Rawdah behind the chamber. So, excluding the detached part, the Rawdah from the pulpit to the copper enclosure is 22 meters long and 15 meters wide. Landmarks at the Edges of the Rawdah: 1. The Prophet's Pulpit is to the west of the Prophet's mihrab, and has been changed many times. The current pulpit dates back to 998 AH and has twelve steps. 2. The Prophet&rsquo;s Mihrab is the place where the Prophet (ﷺ) used to stand and lead the Muslims in prayer. The current structure of the mihrab dates back to 888 AH. It was renovated during the reign of King Fahd in 1404 AH. 3.&nbsp;The Columns are pillars on which the ceiling of the Rawdah rests. In the Prophet's lifetime, they were made of&nbsp;palm trunks. Each column is linked to some historical and Islamic events. 4. The Blessed Chamber is the house of the Prophet (ﷺ) where he lived with the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. Saudi Care for the Blessed Rawdah: The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken care of the Blessed Rawdah. Examples of the constant care are coating the pulpit with liquid gold when necessary, and placing transparent film on it to protect it from touching. It also restored and decorated the mihrab, supported it from the inside with reinforced concrete and covered it from the outside with marble. The two columns in the facade of the mihrab were also replaced with two columns of Pakistani inox marble, and the calligraphic mural board behind the mihrab was renewed with the date of renewal added. The columns in the Rawdah were covered with white marble to make them distinct from the rest of the mosque's columns. The Rawdah floor was covered with luxurious carpets. The utmost attention was paid to the Blessed Chamber and the Green Dome. Due respect is paid in maintenance works on this site, with the task entrusted to those whose religious observance and honesty can be trusted. How to Visit the Rawdah: Reservations are made through the official applications (Tawakkalna) and (Nusuk), setting the day and time of the visit. Visitors of the Rawdah shall be calm, dignified and kind to Muslims, especially the elderly because jostling them is contrary to the sanctity of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque, and "a Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe."

The Blessed Rawdah

It is the second holiest mosque in Islam, and the greatest mosque in Islam after the Grand Mosque of Makkah. Cognizant of the virtue of prayer in this mosque, Muslims from all over the world visit it. It is associated with the life of the Prophet (ﷺ), and the lives of his companions, both emigrants and helpers (ansar). 

Construction and Expansions: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) built his sacred mosque immediately upon arriving in Madinah as an emigrant from Makkah. He had stopped at Quba and built Quba Mosque. The Prophet's Mosque witnessed several expansions throughout history. The first expansion took place during the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) in the seventh year after hegira. Then, it was expanded during the reign of Umar bin al-Khattab in 17 AH, and during the reign of his successor, Othman bin Affan in 29 AH. Rulers and governors of Madinah under the successive Islamic states showed great interest in serving the mosque. During the reigns of King Abdulaziz bin Abdurrahman Al Saud and his successors, the kings of modern Saudi Arabia, the mosque has witnessed several renovations and expansions, which are the greatest in the history of the Prophet's Mosque. The Exalted Status of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">A prayer in this mosque is equal in reward to 1,000 prayers elsewhere.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">One of the three mosques&nbsp;to which it is permissible to travel for the exclusive purpose of worship.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">It embraces many historical and monumental sites mentioned in the Prophet's biography.</li> </ul> Landmarks of the Prophet's Mosque: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">The Blessed Rawdah: It is located at the front of the Prophet's Mosque, and extends from the house of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to his pulpit.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">The Prophet's Prayer Niche: The place where the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray. The current mihrab (prayer niche) dates back to 888 AH. It was last renovated during the reign of King Fahd in 1404 AH.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">The Prophet's Pulpit: It is located to the west of the Prophet's mihrab, and it has been replaced many times. Additionally, the existing minbar (pulpit), which consists of 12 steps, dates back to 998 AH.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">The Blessed Chamber: It is the house of the Prophet (ﷺ) where he lived with Aisha, (RA). In this room, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions, Abu Bakr and Omar, (RA), were buried. The chamber was attached to the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque during the reign of Caliph Al-Walid bin Abdulmalik.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">As-Suffah (the hospice): an enclosure behind ar-Rawdah, where poor emigrants took shelter. The Prophet left it roofed after shifting the qiblah.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">The columns: These are the pillars on which the roof of the Rawdah rests. During the Prophet's lifetime, they were made of palm trunks. Each pillar is linked to specific historical events.</li> </ul> Care for the Mosque in the Saudi Era: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="text-align: left;">The first expansion of the Prophet's Mosque was initiated during the reign of King Abdulaziz, and several expansions, including new additions, followed during the reigns of his successors. During the reign of King Fahd, a massive expansion was implemented in the duration (1406AH-1414AH). The total area of the mosque soared to 400,327 square meters, including the courtyards. Quality facilities were built, the most important of which are the underground parking lots beneath the outer courtyards and an air conditioning station. During the reign of King Abdullah, the foundation stone of a huge new expansion was laid in 1433 AH.</li> <li style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;">The Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque receives the attention of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, as he has affirmed his keenness to continue work on the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque grand expansion and its related projects.</li> </ul> Etiquette of Visiting the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;To perform ablution or bathe and apply perfume before entering, and to walk politely and solemnly.</li> <li style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;To enter with the right foot first, saying: "Oh Allah! Open the doors of your mercy for me."</li> <li style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;To pray the mosque greeting two rak'ahs, and to engage in lots of supplication, remembrance and reading the Qur'an.</li> <li style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;To visit the blessed chamber and pray there.</li> <li style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;To visit the tomb of the Prophet (ﷺ) and those of his two companions.</li> </ul> Opening Hours: The Prophet's Mosque is open to visitors and worshippers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. <div id="gtx-trans" style="position: absolute; left: -5px; top: 692px;">&nbsp;</div> <div id="gtx-trans" style="position: absolute; left: -5px; top: 692px;">&nbsp;</div>

The Prophet's Mosque

Moving domes and symmetrical canopies are important aspects of the appealing sights in the Prophet’s Mosque. The domes are characterized by their splendid architectural style.

The kingdom ensures that visitors of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque are provided with all amenities. Some aspects of the kingdom's great care are the domes of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque, which give a special beauty and splendor to the mosque, in addition to allowing ventilation and light. The appealing sight is perfected with the canopies that are neatly distributed in the courtyards of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque. In addition to having the lights fitted on them and their posts, the canopies protect visitors from direct sunlight and from rain. Domes of the Prophet's Mosque: The domes of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque represent a unique phenomenon in their architectural style. They give the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque a unique character so that the domes in general and the Green Dome in particular have come to be used as a symbol of Madinah. Wherever you search for pictures of Madinah and the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque, you will find the beautiful domes and the Green Dome remarkably present. The first dome of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque was built on top of the blessed Prophet&rsquo;s Chamber in 678 AH. It was painted green in 1253 AH. The Green Dome became the most widely known dome; yet the total number of moving and fixed domes of the Prophet's Mosque is 196. Moving Domes of the Prophet's Mosque: Moving domes are emblems of modernization in the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque. There are 27 moving domes over the mosque. In addition to their unique aesthetic character, they also allow ventilation as they open and close automatically three times a day: after Fajr, Dhuhr and Isha prayers. The Giant Canopies: There are 250 giant canopies in the Prophet's Mosque courtyards. They are characterized by appealing decorations and majestic design. They open and close automatically as needed. They open early in the day to protect visitors and worshipers from the scorching sun and from rain. At night, they fold up to allow natural ventilation. These canopies are spread in the outer courtyards and in open spaces inside the mosque.

Domes and Giant Canopies of the Prophet's Mosque

Visitors of the Prophet's Mosque are dazzled with the beautiful workmanship and elaborate inscriptions of the mosque gates. These gates are made according to the highest international and technical specifications, and are further decorated with exquisite Islamic inscriptions and decorations.

:The Gates of the Prophet's Mosque in History Originally, the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque had three doors when it was first built; namely, 1. A door in the current direction of the qibla, as the qibla at that time was towards Jerusalem. After the direction of the qibla was changed to Kaaba in Makkah, the door in the southern wall was closed and replaced with a door in the northern wall. 2. A door in the western wall. It was known as Bab Atikah. Today, it is known as Bab Al-Rahmah. 3. A door in in the eastern side. It was known as Bab Uthman. Today, it is known as Bab Jibreel. After implementing Omar ibn Al-Khattab's expansion of the Prophet's Mosque, the number of doors increased to six. :The Gates of the Prophet's Mosque at Present The doors of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque increased in line with the expansions it witnessed in the various ages. The names of the main doors were preserved, however. Currently, the mosque has 86 gates, all of which are given clear numbers that are displayed next to each gate. Most of the gates are designed to receive large numbers of people.

Gates of the Prophet's Mosque

The Prophet's Mosque is surrounded by courtyards on all sides. Visitors first arrive at these outer areas before they enter the mosque proper. 

Spaces Designed as Prayer Grounds: The outer courtyards of the Prophet&rsquo;s Mosque are perfectly designed as places for prayer and sitting. They are covered with canopies that open and close automatically, and are equipped with public facilities that are friendly to all visitors, including the elderly and people with special needs. The Largest Expansion of the Courtyards: The Prophet's Mosque witnessed one of the largest expansions during the reign of King Fahd, in which the total area of the courtyards increased to 235,000 square meters. The courtyards are covered with marble and granite, and are designed as prayer grounds. They can accommodate up to 450,000 worshippers.