Medina

Medina (Ar) Yathrib
Masjid al-Nabawi , the "Mosque of the Prophet"
Administration
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Medina
Geography
Contact	24 28 '07 "North 39 36 '39 "East / 24.468664, 39.610927
Demography
Population	1,102,728 inhab. (2010)
Location
Medina

Medina is a city of Saudi Arabia , the provincial capital of Al Madinah , situated in the Hijaz. She has many names in Arabic : Al-Madina () "the city" Al-Madina al-Munawwar ( ) "the illuminated city ', Madnatu year-Nabi ( )" City of the Prophet, "or Madnatu Rasul Allah ( ) "City of the Messenger of God"). In pre-Islamic times it was called Yathrib ().

It is there that came to settle in 622 at the AH the Prophet of Islam , Mohammed , after he, as the Qur'an , received God's command to leave Mecca , a city of more remote 430 km. This is also where he died and was buried in 632. The city is home to his grave in Masjid Nabawi Year (Mosque of the Prophet) and the first caliphs Abu Bakr and Omar , the significant others of Islam remains at the cemetery Al-Baqi.

Medina is the second holiest city in Islam after Mecca. Although it is not a compulsory part of Hajj , many pilgrims from Mecca came to visit as many of the faithful throughout the year, the tomb of Mohammed and mosques.

Medina is located at 594 meters altitude in a remote hilly region of nearly 200 km off the coast of the Red Sea. It developed from villages located in a network of oases in the most fertile part of the Hejaz. To the south lies a vast plain. The population was estimated in 2009 to 1,071,218 inhabitants. The Citadel, oval, is surrounded by a wall of 9 to 12 meters high dating from the ^twelfth century with towers and pierced by four gates, the "Egyptian door (bab al-salam), the most remarkable. South and west lie the neighborhoods of low houses, gardens and plantations. .

The tomb of Mohammed, who is buried on the grounds of his home, located east of the city in the Masjid al-Nabawi ("Mosque of the Prophet"). Originally built next to the house, it was enlarged by order of Caliph Umayyad al-Walid I to include the grave. Another notable mosque is the Quba , which perpetuates the first mosque of Islam, built by Muhammad and his companions. Damaged by lightning in 850, it was restored in 892. Destroyed by fire in 1257, it was rebuilt immediately. It was restored in 1487 by order of the Sultan of Egypt Qaitbay , and finally rebuilt in the ^twentieth century under the leadership of the Egyptian architect Abdel-Wahed el-Wakil.

Access

Access to Medina is forbidden to non-Muslims (al-Balad al- Haram : that is to say in Arabic: "Sacred Land"), violate this rule shall incur imprisonment or the death penalty .

Climate

Medina has a desert climate , characterized by an arid constant temperatures often very hot during the day. Winter mornings can be fairly fresh.

History

Pre-Islamic Period

Before the arrival of the first Muslims, the city was known as Yathrib, Lathrippa in the texts of Greek geographer Ptolemy ( ^second century ). It was an important market town whose inhabitants were making annual pilgrimages to Mecca.

Yathrib tribes sheltered Jewish ( Qainuka'a Banu , Banu Qurayza , Banu Nadhir ) and two tribes of Arab origin Yemeni ( Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj ) became dominant towards the beginning of the ^fifth century. The Qurayza had, according to Ibn Khordadbeh been tax collectors for the shah during the Persian domination of the Hejaz . According to Ibn Ishaq , two of their rabbis have persuaded a king Himyarite whose son was killed by the inhabitants of Yathrib not to exercise his revenge by revealing the future coming into the city from a prophet of the Quraysh.

In the late ^fifth century, a feud arose between the Aus and the Khazraj. The Nadhir Qurayza and sided with the former, the latter supported Qainuka'a . The culmination of the conflict was the Battle of Bu'ath ( 610 ). Ubayy ibn Abd-Allah , head Khazraj who had refused to take part in the struggles for the sake of impartiality, had attracted a reputation as a wise, he seems to have was one of the most prior to the arrival of Muhammad.

The Hijra

In 622 , Muhammad , akin to Khazraj by a great-great grandmother, is invited to come and live in Yathrib. He then emigrated to the early Muslims. This migration is the Hijra , the departure point of the Islamic calendar. He became the head of Yathrib, which apparently takes it to that period the name of Medina, "the city". Residents support and become muhadjirs Ansar , early Muslims of Medina. According to Ibn Ishaq, the communities agree on a charter, the constitution of Medina , establishing an alliance within an umma between Muslims, Jews and others, prohibits, in particular, the alliance with Quarych. However, modern historians doubt that all points of the constitution dating from the time of Muhammad .

Conflict with Mecca, the disappearance of the Jews

The conflict began in 623 with a first attempt to attack a Meccan caravan led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb In 624 the Medina and captured a cargo of prisoners after the battle of Badr , the Meccans take their revenge this year Next at the battle of Uhud. In 627 took place the Battle of the Ditch. In 630 Mecca surrenders. In 632 , Medina became the first capital of the caliphate.

Shortly after the battle of Badr, the Qainuka'a are expelled to disrespect a woman's Muslim party, according to Islamic tradition. After the battle of Uhud, the Nadhir in turn were expelled because Muhammad are suspected of wanting to eliminate it, perhaps in retaliation against the killing of the poet Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf , one of their leaders. Refugees in Khaybar, they will be attacked and defeated by the Muslims in 629 during the Battle of Khaybar. After the Battle of the Ditch during which they would have supported Abu Sufyan Qurayza men are killed and their families enslaved or banished.

Period Umayyad

Under the Umayyads successive periods of flourishing and others unstable.

Period Abbasid

The Abbasid period begins in 749 or 750 (132 AH) and stops in 1258 (656 AH) which is the year of the fall of the Abbasid empire. We can divide the period into 3 sub Abbasid periods:

• The first 132 ( 750 ) 363 ( 974 ): the beginning of the Abbasid period;
• The second 363 ( 974 ) 463 ( 1071 ): the influence Fatimid ;
• The third of 463 ( 1,071 ) to six hundred fifty-six ( in 1258 ): the influence Ayyubid.

Period Mamluk

Period Ottoman

Period Hashemite

Medina was under the control of the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein ibn Ali between 1916 and 1924.

Saudi Period

In 1924 , the forces of Hussein were defeated by Abdul Aziz ibn Saud , Emir of Nejd and Medina was then annexed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

The names of Medina

His name before Islam was Yathrib, but was changed to Al Madina al Munawara by Islam's prophet Muhammad. Historians say that there are 100 names for it:

• Tayyiba and Tiba: This name was given by Muhammad.
• Dar al-Iman:
• Dar al-Fath:
• Dar al-Mustafa:
• Al-Mubarak
• Dar As-salam

Personalities

• Abu Bakr , father- Muhammad (circa 573 - 634 )
• Omar ibn al-Khattab Mohammed's stepfather
• Uthman bin Affan husband Roukaya daughter of Muhammad
• Ali Ibn Abi Talib Muhammad's cousin and husband of his daughter Fatima Zahra

References

Notes

External Links

• (En) Pictures of Madinah

Bibliography

• Article Medina universal dictionary illustrated geography and travel by a company of men of letters of tourists and scientists, under the direction of G. Lucien Huard, 1884

• Islam Portal
• Portal of the Arab world
• Portal in the Middle East
• Saudi Arabia portal

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