Prophet's Mosque

Medina, Saudi Arabia

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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The Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is the second holiest site in Islam and the second largest mosque in the world, surpassed only by the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. Built by the Prophet Muhammad himself, the mosque originated as an open-air structure that served multiple civic functions—a community center, court, and religious school. Muhammad acquired the land from two orphans, Sahl and Suhayl, with payment arranged by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who became the mosque's endower. The structure contained a minbar (raised platform) for Quranic instruction and sermons. Successive Islamic rulers expanded and embellished the mosque, with a significant enlargement under the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I (r. 705–715) transforming it into a funerary monument that now houses the tombs of Muhammad and the first two Rashidun caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar. The distinctive Green Dome, located in the southeast corner over Muhammad's tomb, stands as a focal point for pilgrims performing the Hajj. In 1909, the mosque became the first site in the Arabian Peninsula to receive electric lighting.