Architecture of The Mosque at Medina
Date Added
30/06/2022
Content Type
Documentary
Category
Other
Link to Content
Subject Area
Architecture
Author
Dr. Uday Dokras
Publisher Name
Indo Swediash Author's Collective
Year of Publication
2019
Description
The Prophet’s Mosque is one of the largest mosques in the world and the second holiest site in Islam after
the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Located in Madinah, it was built by Prophet Muhammad in the year 1 AH
(622 AD) near his home after building the Quba Mosque,the first mosque in Islam at Mecca. The mosque
was expanded many times over the years, in the reign of the Caliphs and the Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman
states, and then finally in the span of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1994 when the largest expansion
operation took place. The Prophet’s Mosque is considered to be the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to
be lit electrically using light-bulbs in 1327 AH (1909). The original mosque was an open-air building, and
served as a community center, a Court and a religious school. The mosque is also home to the tomb of
Prophet Muhammad and it is a significant Islamic site to pilgrims for its strong affiliation and connection to
the life of the Prophet.
Many pilgrims who perform Hajj also travel to Al-Madinah to visit the Prophet’s mosque to performed the
ritual of “Itikaaf” (Seclusion and staying in the mosque with the intention of worshipping). Many hotels and
local/traditional markets can be found near the mosque. One of the mosque’s most prominent features is the
Green Dome; it is built above the prophet’s tomb and the tombs of early Muslim caliphs Abu Bakr As-Siddiq
and Omar bin Al-Khattab. The Green Dome is in the south east corner of the Prophet’s Mosque, and was
first painted green in 1837, becoming known thereafter as “The Green Dome.”