The Sacred Journey Part I: Medina

Happy Eid Mubarak, blog-walkers!

In this special moment, I’d like to post about my travel journal to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Although it was so last year, but just wanna share some Islamic historic sites in Medina, Mecca and Jeddah where I’ve been. I went to KSA to get Umrah alongside with dad and granny.

I touched down the King Abdul Aziz Airport Jeddah at late afternoon. Then headed to Medina - the city of the Prophet Muhammad - to check in at a hotel called Al-Haram where I stayed for 3 days. It took two hours to get there by bus.

Medina really wowed me by its beautiful buildings and of course the Nabawi Mosque where Muhammad was buried. From the hotel which very near to Nabawi Mosque, I could see a modest mosque named Imam Bukhari Mosque. This mosque looked quiet because people choose to pray at Nabawi Mosque.

Imam Bukhari Mosque amid the lofty buildings in Medina

Nabawi Mosque is behind me :D

Besides Nabawi the prophet's mosque, there are two more oldest mosques located in Medina. One of them is Quba Mosque. It is the oldest mosque in the world. Its first stones were positioned by the Muhammad on his emigration from Mecca to Medina and the mosque was completed by his companions.

In front of Quba Mosque (the first mosque in Islam's history)

After having a sight-seeing to Quba Mosque, I wandered up to Baqi' Cemetery located to the southeast to Nabawi Mosque. Many of Muhammad's relatives and companions were buried in this graveyard. One of them is Uthman ibn Affan.

Pilgrimage to Baqi' Cemetery

Another amazing place I visited was Jabal Magnet (Magnetic Hill). It's situated around 30 km from Medina. This mysterious hill is believed having a magnetic power. To prove the phenomenon, the bus that I was in could run without engine power against the slope! cool huh?! One more strange phenomenon found is there is a writing of Allah on the slope formed by black stones. Subhanallah.

The slope with Allah on it! Subhanallah.

In the last day in Medina, I went to Medina Dates Market. Here you can find many kinds of dates such as Ajwa - the prophet's favourite date, chocolate dates. Apricots are also sold in this place. The market is surrounded by date palm trees.

Next place to visit was King Fahd Quran Printing Complex. This place was built by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz in 1985. The company produces about 10 million copies a year. It has published 55 different translations of the Quran in 39 languages. Only men could enter the company, so I and the other women in the tour stayed outside while having a look of some Quran displayed in a waiting room. My dad got one Quran as a souvenir.

Inside the printing complex, taken by dad.

 That's all my 3-days-travel recap in Medina. By the way, Medina was getting so hot at the time with 46 degrees of Celcius. So, if you are willing to go Umrah, it's better to visit around January-May which is not as hot as June-December.