The Prophet's Mosque, Madinah

The journey in one line

One place in Saudi Arabia. Arriving is the journey.

Madinah is the quieter of the two cities, and people who have been to both usually say so. The Prophet's Mosque sits at the centre of it, and the green dome over his grave is the most reproduced image in the Muslim world after the Kaaba. Ziyarah to Madinah is not part of the Hajj and carries no obligation. It is something people do because they want to. Saudi entry terms restrict the mosque premises to Muslims. The rest of Madinah is open.

The Prophet built the first version of this mosque with his own hands on arriving from Makkah in 622, and it doubled as his house, a court and a school. He is buried in what was his wife Aisha's room, along with Abu Bakr and Umar. Every expansion since has worked outward around that one point, which is why the plan is so strange when you see it from above. The building is enormous and the thing it is built around is a single small chamber.

Madinah has its own international airport and is on the Haramain high-speed line from Jeddah and Makkah. The mosque is open around the clock and the courtyards fill long before the prayer. Access to the Rawdah, the area between the Prophet's chamber and his pulpit, is booked through Nusuk in timed slots and is not available on demand.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. One visit to the premises of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. It records a place and nothing about your practice.

1. 1

   The Prophet's Mosque

   المسجد النبوي

   Madinah, Saudi Arabia

   

   The Prophet Muhammad built this mosque on arriving in Madinah in 622, and he is buried inside it under the green dome. The Madinah Development Authority calls it the second holiest mosque in Islam. Successive expansions have pushed the courtyards out across several city blocks, and the retractable umbrellas over them are now as recognisable as the dome.

   What counts as a visit

   Inside the mosque premises, including the courtyards.

   Access

   Madinah itself is open to visitors. Saudi entry terms restrict the premises of the Prophet's Mosque to Muslims; that rule is specific to those premises and is not applied to the rest of the city. Checked 2026-09-16.

   Faith restricted

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

Respect and access

Dress conservatively and expect the whole city to do the same. The mood inside is different from Makkah: slower, quieter, more people sitting than moving. Photography rules inside the premises change and are posted. The Rawdah in particular is not a place to hold up a phone.

Faith restricted

The custodian limits entry by religion. Check the official terms before you travel. TravelDay does not ask what you believe and does not decide whether you qualify.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• visitmadinahsa.comhttps://visitmadinahsa.com/sa-en/destinations/The-Prophet's-Mosque · checked September 16, 2026
• visa.visitsaudi.comhttps://visa.visitsaudi.com/Home/TermsConditions

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.