Visiting the historic sites in Makkah is a bit difficult as there aren’t any official tours, but in Madinah it is oh so different. Madinah now has an official tour facility and it is the world renowned red hop on hop off bus. The service exists in numerous countries and cities around the world and it has now arrived in Madinah, and we are grateful for it. It is such an amazing tour and so perfect for us tourists and pilgrims visiting Madinah. You get to visit all the major historic sites in the city that you would on a typical tour, but this is at your own time: you can visit in the morning, afternoon or evening, you can spend as much or as little time at each spot and there’s an audio guide giving you authentic information regarding each spot in numerous different languages. Very comfortable bus, convenient timing, informative tour, and at a very reasonable price (£18 and unlimited 24 hour access). Below I will list the spots that you will visit and my suggested itinerary on how you could do it to maximise your benefits.
Disclaimer: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No journey should be made to visit mosques except for three: this mosque of mine [in Madeenah], al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah] and al-Masjid al-Aqsa [in al-Quds/Jerusalem]. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim; this version narrated by Muslim). So, when you do visit the below sites and mosques bare that in mind that you are visiting Madinah specifically for Masjid an-Nabawi and not the below places and are only visiting the below places because you happen to be in Madinah. And on this tour you are not visiting any place for worship purposes unless there is proof otherwise.
Website: https://city-sightseeing.com/en/125/medina/478/hop-on-hop-off-al-madinah
Below times are for the winter and there are different timings during the summer months and in Ramadan.
Start at Masjid an-Nabawi after Fair (6:00 / 6:30 am)
Fajr happens around 5:30 am and so maybe you can get the first bus, which is at 6, but it is a bit tight. We wanted to get that one, but in the end didn’t make it on time. So, we got the next on at 6:30. There’s a bus every half hour and they are prompt; leave and arrive on time. There’s a bus that runs every half hour right until 10 pm, but the reason we wanted to start early is so that we can get back in time to pray Dhuhr in the Masjid. Get on at the first stop (Google Maps link below), which is at the back of the Masjid past the big hotels. From here you’ll be taken around the Masjid first, so you’ll go past Al Baqee cemetery, which is where a lot of companions are buried and anyone who passes away here is buried too and then you’ll go past the front entrance of the Masjid too. You can get off at these stops if you want. We didn’t need to as they are easily accessible on foot to be fair.
The tour starts here.
Stop 1: Uhud Mountain
The first real stop away from the Masjid is Uhud. As you drive towards it, you see it in the distance. The famous historic mountain can be seen even from the Masjid itself, so driving towards it is a magnificent experience in and of itself. The huge mountain just gets bigger and grander and more impressive. Once you get there you’ll see a small mountain, which is where the archers stood during the famous battle of Uhud (second battle in Islam) and they descended the mountain even though the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told them not to. An honest mistake led to disastrous results as the prophet himself was harmed and injured. This is a great lesson for us today: disobeying the prophet’s command can have similar disastrous results. In the area, you’ll also see where the martyrs from that battle are buried and then in the backdrop lies the magnificent, the gorgeous mountain that is none other than Mount Uhud. There are numerous Hadith regarding this mountain (I’d strongly advise you looking them up) including the one where the prophet mentions it is a mountain that loves us and we love it. This is my favourite stop of the tour. So much history and so many lessons to take away from it. Be sure to spend a little time here.
Stop 2: Breakfast time at the Mall / Sultanah stop
The next two stops are more touristic than historic. Noor Mall, which is the closest mall to the Masjid (unlike Makkah, there isn’t a conventional mall near the Masjid), is the first stop and Sultanah is the second stop. Sultanah is street full of different eateries, international restaurants, home grown ones, cafes, dessert parlours and juice bars. There is everything a foodie can desire on this street. When I lived in Madinah, many years ago, this was the area a lot of locals (especially the expat locals) would hang out at.
We’re going to take advantage of this stop and have a cheeky breakfast break. We’ll get off at the Sultanah stop and to be fair as mentioned there are numerous options, but I’m going to recommend something special. A cuisine or breakfast that is close to the hearts of the locals. The Yemeni breakfast is THE thing here in Saudi Arabia. All the locals love it and you’ll find such spots packed out post Fajr prayer right until lunchtime. I’ve lived in numerous cities in the country and I found this to be true everywhere I went. Now, there are two spots that probably dominate this scene: Abu Zaid and Al Qarmooshi and the latter was my favourite and the one I frequented the most when I lived in the city. However, on this trip we decided to check out a more modern a more fancy looking Yemeni breakfast spot: Shoaib. I’ve noticed this to be a trend – there’s more of these kinda spots where the food is old school and true to tradition, but the setting is more modern, clean, fresh and fancy. Fortunately, Shoaib happened to be a 4 minute walk from the Sultanah stop, so it was literally perfect. It could not have been more perfect. How was the food? Read the full review to find out!
Detour: best dates in Madinah from the Well of Uthman
Now, this detour is optional and I’d only recommend it if you’re up for a walk and you’re extra passionate about dates. About a 10 minute walk away from Shoaib is a date shop that sells supposedly the best dates in the city. And they supposedly get their dates from the farm nearby in the area known as Bir Uthman, which is referring to the well (Bir) that Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) supposedly purchased and donated to the Muslims. The walk is a pleasant walk where you will see local homes en route too. The shop does deliver, so if you’re keen on their dates, but don’t want to walk, use the number in the picture and they’ll deliver to your hotel!
Stop 3: Al Qiblatain
This Masjid signifies the incident where mid prayer the Qibla of the Muslims changed from Jerusalem to the Ka’bah in Makkah. Many scholars actually believe this incident happened in Masjid Quba and not here, but regardless, the incident is what is significant in Islamic history and not the place.
Stop 4: The Trench battlefield
Khandaq is the Arabic for trench. And this is where this particular battle took place. A significant incident and story that happened during this battle is Salman al-Faarisi suggested the idea of building a trench (an alien strategy to the Arabs) to the Prophet and he approved. This shows the humility of the prophet to a) listen to suggestions of his followers and b) even if those suggestions were coming from non-Arabs (Salman was Persian). Again, I would strongly advise reading about the battle to familiarise yourself with what happened and why.
A noteworthy thing here is that you’ll see a small mountain behind the big mosque. The name of the mountain is Mount Sela. And Mount Sela was mentioned in the bible: “…Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.” (Isaiah 42:11) and scholars explain that this referring to a prophecy made about an upcoming prophet in this area (i.e. the Prophet Muhammad).
Stop 5: Masjid Quba
Masjid Quba is the last stop on this tour (Hijaz Railway station is under construction) and it is significant because it is the first mosque built by the prophet Muhammad. When the prophet migrated from Makkah to Madinah, he stayed in this area for a bit and the first thing he did was build a mosque. So, it is one that is significant in islamic history. Also, the prophet would visit Quba every week because the place is far from Masjid an-Nabawi and they wouldn’t get to join the Jumuah congregation.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said, “Whoever purifies himself in his house then comes to the mosque of Quba’ and prays there, he will have a reward like that for ‘Umrah.” (Narrated by Ahmad, al-Nasaa’i, Ibn Maajah and al-Haakim. Al-Haakim classed it as saheeh and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6154).
Return back to Masjid an-Nabawi before Dhuhr
And here is the best thing about this tour. You get to do all of the above and still come back comfortably to make it for Dhuhr prayer in Masjid an-Nabawi. Try to not miss any prayers in the Masjid as the your prayers are multiplied in it. There’s even enough time to go to your hotel and chill for a bit.
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