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( Medina)
Medina IPA /m?'di?n?/ (Arabic ??????? ???????? IPA&_160;[ælmæ'di?næl mu'n?w??r?] or ??????? IPA&_160;[ælmæ'di?næ]; also transliterated into English as Madinah; officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah) 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 Muhammad. It is historically significant for being Muhammad's home after the Hijrah. Medina currently has a population of more than 1,300,000 people (2006). It was originally known as Yathrib, an oasis city dating as far back as the 6th century BCE.[1] It was later inhabited by Jewish refugees who fled the aftermath of the war with the Romans in the 2nd century CE. Later the city's name was changed to Madinat(u) 'n-Nabiy (????? ????? "city of the prophet") or Al-Madinat(u) 'l-Munawwarah ("the enlightened city" or "the radiant city"), while the short form Madinah simply means "city". Medina is celebrated for containing the mosque of Muhammad, and so ranks as the second holiest city of Islam, after Mecca (Makkah).[2] Medina is 210 miles (338 kilometres north of Mecca and about 120 mi (193 km) from the Red Sea coast. It is situated in the most fertile part of all the Hejaz territory, the streams of the vicinity tending to converge in this locality. An immense plain extends to the south; in every direction the view is bounded by hills and mountains. The city forms an oval, surrounded by a strong wall, 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 metres) high, that dates from the 12th century C.E., and is flanked with towers, while on a rock, stands a castle. Of its four gates, the Bab-al-Salam, or Egyptian gate, is remarkable for its beauty. Beyond the walls of the city, west and south are suburbs consisting of low houses, yards, gardens and plantations. These suburbs have also walls and gates. The tombs of Fatimah (Muhammad's daughter) and Abu Bakr (first caliph and the father of Muhammad's wife, Aisha), and of Umar (Umar ibn Al-Khattab), the second caliph, are also here. The mosque dates back to the time of Muhammad, but has been twice burned and reconstructed.[3]
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