Two maps in one: inside Masjid an-Nabawi, with the Rawdah, the chamber of the grave and the gates, and the city with al-Baqi, Quba, Masjid al-Qiblatayn and Uhud. Tap a place to read what it is and its source.
Swipe the map sideways to see all of it, or tap a name below.
Swipe the map sideways to see all of it, or tap a name below.
A simplified guide map we drew ourselves. The Hajj sites and Madinah are placed from real coordinates; the mosque plans are not to scale. Nothing is loaded from a map service, so it works on a slow connection.
Every place
A garden of Paradise
The area between the Prophet's ﷺ house (now the chamber of his grave) and his minbar, about 22 metres long. It has green carpet and white pillars.
What happens here: Pray two rakahs and make dua here if you get a place. Entry is by timed turns, with separate times for men and women.
“What is between my house and my minbar is a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and my minbar is on my Pond” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1196; Sahih Muslim 1391).
The Prophet's ﷺ grave
The chamber in the south-east of the old mosque, once Aishah's room, where the Prophet ﷺ is buried, with Abu Bakr and Umar beside him. The dome above it was first built in 1279 and painted green in 1837.
What happens here: Walk past the brass grille along the qibla wall, give salam to the Prophet ﷺ, then to Abu Bakr and Umar, quietly and without pushing.
“O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet” (Quran 49:2, Sahih International). Scholars apply it to his grave too.
West end of the Rawdah
The pulpit at the west end of the Rawdah, standing where the Prophet's ﷺ wooden minbar stood. The minbar today is an Ottoman marble one.
What happens here: No rite. It marks the edge of the Rawdah.
When the first minbar was made, the palm trunk he used to lean on cried out until he came down and held it (Sahih al-Bukhari 3583, from Ibn Umar).
Way in for the salam
An old gate on the west side near the qibla wall. The line for giving salam at the grave usually starts here.
What happens here: Walk east along the qibla side, give salam at the chamber, and leave by Bab al-Baqi. Staff direct the line, and it can change.
Enter with the right foot and say the dua for entering a masjid, “Allahumma iftah li abwaba rahmatik” (Sahih Muslim 713).
East gate by the chamber
A gate on the east side next to the chamber of the grave. Reports say Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ at this spot, hence the name.
What happens here: No rite.
Gate numbers are shown above the doors. Agree on one with your group before you go in.
Way out after the salam
The gate at the south end of the east side, facing al-Baqi.
What happens here: Most people leave here after giving salam, and walk on to al-Baqi.
Visiting graves is a sunnah: “Visit the graves, for they remind you of death” (Sahih Muslim 976).
Main north gate
The main gate on the north side, in the extension finished in 1994. The courtyards around the mosque have large umbrellas that open for shade.
What happens here: No rite.
Women's entrances and prayer areas are signposted separately. Staff will point you to the right door.
The Prophet's Mosque
The mosque the Prophet ﷺ built when he arrived in Madinah, and where he is buried, under the green dome.
What happens here: Not part of Hajj or Umrah, but most pilgrims visit to pray and to give salam to the Prophet ﷺ.
“A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haram” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1190).
The cemetery of Madinah
The main cemetery of Madinah, just east of the Prophet's Mosque. Many Companions, members of the Prophet's ﷺ family and his wives are buried here.
About 0.6 km from the Prophet's Mosque in a straight line.
What happens here: Visit to give salam and pray for the dead. Graves are unmarked, so the dua is for all who lie there.
The Prophet ﷺ would go out to al-Baqi and say: “Peace be upon you, abode of believing people... O Allah, forgive the people of Baqi al-Gharqad” (Sahih Muslim 974).
The first mosque
The first mosque the Prophet ﷺ founded, at Quba on the south side of Madinah, during the Hijrah.
About 3 km from the Prophet's Mosque in a straight line.
What happens here: Make wudu where you are staying, come and pray two rakahs. Saturday visits follow the Sunnah.
“Whoever purifies himself in his house, then comes to Masjid Quba and prays in it, has a reward like an Umrah” (Sunan Ibn Majah 1412, graded sahih).
The mosque of the two qiblas
A mosque in north-west Madinah. Historians report that the change of qibla from Jerusalem to the Kaaba reached the people praying here in the middle of a prayer, so they turned round.
About 4 km from the Prophet's Mosque in a straight line.
What happens here: No rite. Pray two rakahs if you visit, as in any mosque.
“So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram” (Quran 2:144). The story of turning mid-prayer is in Sahih al-Bukhari 403 (about Quba); this mosque's link to it comes from the historians.
Battle of Uhud, 3 AH
The long red mountain north of Madinah, and at its foot the graves of the martyrs of the battle of Uhud, among them Hamzah, the Prophet's ﷺ uncle. The small hill of the archers stands opposite.
About 4 km from the Prophet's Mosque in a straight line.
What happens here: No rite. Give salam to the martyrs and pray for them, and remember the lesson of the archers who left their post.
The Prophet ﷺ said of Uhud: “This is a mountain that loves us and we love it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4084).
Guide
Madinah is about 340 km north of Makkah by road. Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, is in the centre of the city, with al-Baqi just to its east. Quba Mosque is about 3 km to the south, Masjid al-Qiblatayn about 4 km to the north-west, and the martyrs of Uhud about 4 km to the north. Visiting Madinah is not part of Hajj or Umrah, but most pilgrims spend a few days here.
The qibla wall is on the south side, facing Makkah. The oldest part of the mosque, under the Ottoman domes, is along that wall. In its south-east corner is the chamber where the Prophet ﷺ is buried, with the green dome above it. West of the chamber is the Rawdah, reaching to the minbar, with green carpet and white pillars. The mosque plan is a simplified sketch, not to scale.
The usual line starts at Bab al-Salam on the west side and runs east along the qibla wall. At the brass grille, say quietly: as-salamu alayka ya Rasulallah. A little further on, give salam to Abu Bakr, then to Umar. Do not push or raise your voice, and leave by Bab al-Baqi. The line is directed by the staff and can change.
صَلَاةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِي هَذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلَاةٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ إِلَّا الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ
“A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haram.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1190; Sahih Muslim 1394, from Abu Hurayrah.
Quba Mosque was the first mosque the Prophet ﷺ founded, and praying there brings the reward of an Umrah. At Uhud, give salam to the martyrs, among them Hamzah. Masjid al-Qiblatayn recalls the change of qibla. Al-Baqi is the cemetery of many Companions and of the Prophet's ﷺ family. Visiting graves is a sunnah, and the dua is for the dead: graves are not touched or prayed toward.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
In the oldest part of the mosque, along the qibla wall: between the chamber of the Prophet's ﷺ grave on the east and the minbar on the west. It has green carpet.
Entry is by timed turns, with separate times for men and women, and the system changes. Check the current arrangement with your group or the mosque staff when you arrive.
About 3 km south, in a straight line. A long walking road joins the two.
Just east of the Prophet's Mosque, across the plaza from Bab al-Baqi.
Bab Jibril and Bab al-Baqi are on the east side next to the chamber. The line for salam usually starts at Bab al-Salam on the west.