Type “Medina” into a search bar and you will get two very different cities back — a walled town in Spain, and the city in western Saudi Arabia where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ built the first Muslim community. This guide is about the second one: Medina, or Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, in Saudi Arabia. Where it is, why it is considered the second-holiest city in Islam, what you can and cannot visit as a Muslim or non-Muslim traveller, and how to plan a trip there properly.
Whether you are arriving for Umrah, joining a group before or after Hajj, or visiting purely out of curiosity about Islamic history, this is the orientation guide we wish had existed before our own first journey.
Where Medina is, exactly
Medina sits in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, roughly 340 kilometres north of Jeddah and about 450 kilometres north of Makkah by road. It is a modern city of just over a million people, built around a historic core that holds the Prophet’s Mosque, and ringed by newer neighbourhoods, university campuses and date palm farms that stretch for kilometres in every direction.
Most visitors arrive through Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, a short drive from the centre, or overland on the Haramain high-speed railway from Makkah and Jeddah — comfortably the most pleasant way to travel between the two holy cities.
A short history of Medina
Before Islam the city was known as Yathrib, an oasis settlement of Arab and Jewish tribes known for its agriculture rather than for any particular religious significance. That changed in 622 CE, when the Prophet ﷺ and his early followers migrated there from Makkah to escape persecution — the Hijrah, which marks year one of the Islamic calendar.
In Yathrib the Prophet ﷺ established the first organised Muslim community, drew up what is often described as one of history’s earliest written constitutions governing relations between the city’s different tribes and faiths, and built the mosque that would become Al-Masjid an-Nabawi. The city was renamed Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, the Radiant City, and it remained the capital of the early Muslim state until power later shifted to Damascus. The fuller version of that story runs through our guide to the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ.
Why Medina matters in Islam
Medina is considered the second-holiest city in Islam after Makkah, for several overlapping reasons.
- It is where the Prophet ﷺ is buried, beneath the green dome inside Al-Masjid an-Nabawi.
- It is where the first mosque-centred Muslim society was built, shaping a great deal of Islamic law and communal practice.
- It contains Ar-Rawdah Ash-Sharifah, the area between the Prophet’s ﷺ chamber and his minbar, described in the hadith as a garden from the gardens of Paradise — making it one of the most sought-after places to pray anywhere in the Muslim world.
For millions of Muslims, visiting Medina — ziyarah — is not a pilgrimage rite in the technical sense that Hajj and Umrah are, but it is treated as one of the most spiritually significant journeys a person can make. Our Umrah and ziyarah page explains how that visit is usually structured.
Can you visit Medina? The access rules, explained simply
This is the part that confuses most first-time travellers, so let us be direct about it.
The city of Medina itself is open to non-Muslims. Since Saudi Arabia introduced its tourist e-visa in 2019, and especially after the reforms that followed, non-Muslim travellers have been able to move through most of Medina — its markets, museums, outer neighbourhoods and date farms — without restriction.
What remains restricted is the sacred precinct around the mosque, the area often called Nabawi Square. Entry into that area, and into Al-Masjid an-Nabawi itself, is for Muslims. Non-Muslim visitors can usually come within a few hundred metres and see the mosque’s courtyards and dome from public streets outside the perimeter, but cannot enter the mosque or the Rawdah.
Makkah, by contrast, is closed to non-Muslims entirely — the whole city, not a section of it. If you are travelling as a mixed group of Muslims and non-Muslims, that distinction shapes the entire itinerary. We break it down city by city in Saudi Arabia for non-Muslim travellers.
The key places to see
For Muslim visitors the centrepiece is Al-Masjid an-Nabawi itself — praying in the Rawdah, offering salutations at the Prophet’s ﷺ resting place, and spending unhurried time in the vast marble courtyards. But several other sites deserve a place in any serious visit.
- Quba Mosque — the first mosque established in Islam, a short drive from the centre, with particular reward mentioned for praying two rak’ahs there.
- Masjid al-Qiblatain — the Mosque of the Two Qiblahs, where the direction of prayer was turned towards the Ka’bah.
- Mount Uhud — the site of the Battle of Uhud, and for most visitors the quietest and most reflective stop of the trip.
- Al-Baqi cemetery — the historic burial ground beside the Prophet’s Mosque, where many of his companions and family are buried.
- Dar Al Madinah Museum — a private museum with detailed scale models of the old city, genuinely useful for understanding how Medina grew around its core.
- The central and date markets — Medina’s dates are famous for good reason, and the markets are among the most relaxed ways to experience daily life here.
If your visit is built specifically around the life of the Prophet ﷺ and the earliest Muslim community, our ziyarah in Madinah maps how these sites connect into a coherent journey rather than a scattered checklist.
How much time you actually need
It depends entirely on your purpose. Pilgrims combining Medina with Umrah in Makkah often spend two to five days here, splitting their time between worship at the mosque and the sites above. Non-Muslim travellers exploring Medina as one stop on a wider Saudi itinerary can usually cover what is accessible in a day or two.
If you would rather have an hour-by-hour plan than a general overview, we have written one: 48 hours in Madinah sets out exactly how to sequence a two-day ziyarah around prayer times and travel between sites.
The best time of year to go
Medina’s climate is desert-dry and hot for much of the year, with summer temperatures regularly passing 40°C. The most comfortable months for walking the city are November through February.
The two periods to plan around carefully are Ramadan and the Hajj season in Dhul Hijjah, when the city’s population swells dramatically and accommodation prices rise to match. Neither is a bad time to come — for many Muslims, Ramadan in Medina is precisely the point — but it is worth knowing what you are booking into.
Getting there: visas and entry
Most travellers reach Medina on one of two routes. The general Saudi tourist visa suits non-Muslim travellers and Muslims visiting outside the Umrah system. An Umrah visa arranged through Nusuk is structured around performing Umrah and visiting the two holy cities as part of that rite, and is also how Rawdah permits are booked.
The two pathways carry different rules, costs and validity periods, so it is worth reading up before you book flights rather than after.
Practical notes before you land
- Dress modestly throughout the city regardless of faith, not only near the mosque.
- Prayer times shape the day. Shops and restaurants pause briefly around each of the five daily prayers.
- The mosque complex is enormous. Note the gate number you entered by; it is very easy to lose your bearings among the courtyards.
- Ride-hailing apps and taxis are reliable for reaching Quba and Uhud, and far more comfortable than walking in the heat.
- Photography near the sacred precinct deserves restraint. Treat it as you would any active place of worship, because that is exactly what it is.
Common questions
Is Medina the same as Makkah?
No. They are two separate cities around 450 kilometres apart. Makkah is home to the Ka’bah and is closed to non-Muslims entirely. Medina holds the Prophet’s Mosque and his resting place, and is open to non-Muslims outside its sacred precinct.
Can non-Muslims see the Prophet’s Mosque at all?
Not from inside. Non-Muslim visitors can generally view the exterior, domes and courtyards from public areas just outside the restricted perimeter.
How many days should I plan?
Two days is a comfortable minimum for the main sites without rushing. Pilgrims usually stay longer to focus on worship inside the mosque.
Is Medina safe to visit?
Yes. It is among the more orderly cities in Saudi Arabia, with pilgrimage and tourism infrastructure built up over decades.
How Rihlah shapes a visit to Medina
Medina rewards preparation — knowing what is open to you, what is not, and how each site connects to the others historically rather than as a list of stops. Our Madinah journeys are built around exactly that — the historic sites, the everyday life of the city, and, for Muslim travellers, the circles of learning and visits to the universities and libraries. When you are ready, plan your journey and we will build your time in the city around you.
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