Country guide
Saudi Arabia
12 sacred sites across 3 regions.
Prominent site types
Makkah Region
6 sites
Grave of Lady Hawa (Eve), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Grave of Lady Hawa (Eve), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is a grave of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 21.49141, 39.19025. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islamic. Associated figure: Lady Hawa (Eve). Mythological context: Islamic. Located in جدة, منطقة مكة المكرمة, السعودية.
Jabal al Nour, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Makkah Al Mukarramah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Jabal al Nour, Mecca, Saudi Arabia is a mountain of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 21.45662, 39.85713. Attributes: natural, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islamic. Associated figure: Prophet Muhammad. Mythological context: Islamic. Located in منطقة مكة المكرمة, السعودية.
Masjid al Hudaibiyah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Makkah Al Mukarramah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Masjid al Hudaibiyah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia is a mosque of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 21.44209, 39.62566. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islam. Associated figure: Prophet Muhammad. Located in منطقة مكة المكرمة, السعودية.
Masjid Nimrah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Makkah Al Mukarramah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Masjid Nimrah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia is a mosque of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 21.35288, 39.96675. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage, ceremonial. Tradition: Islamic. Associated figure: Prophet Muhammad. Located in منطقة مكة المكرمة, السعودية.
Mecca
Makkah Al Mukarramah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Mecca is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 21.42252, 39.82618. Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah) is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the holiest city according to Islam. It is 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley 277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its metropolitan population in 2022 was 2.4 million, making it the third-most populated city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah. Around 44.5% of the population are Saudi citizens and around 55.5% are Muslim foreigners from other countries. Pilgrims more than triple the population number every year during the Ḥajj pilgrimage, observed in the twelfth Hijri month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah. With over 10.8 million international visitors in 2023, Mecca was one of the ten most visited cities in the world. Mecca is generally considered the fountainhead and cradle of Islam . Mecca is revered in Islam as the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Hira cave atop the Jabal al-Nur ( Mountain of Light ), just outside the city, is where Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to Muhammad. Visiting Mecca for the Ḥajj is an obligation upon all able Muslims. The Great Mosque of Mecca, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is home to the Ka bah, believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael. It is Islam s holiest site and the direction of prayer (qibla) for all Muslims worldwide. Muslim rulers from in and around the region long tried to take the city and keep it in their control, and thus, much like most of the Hejaz region, the city has seen several regime changes. The city was most recently conquered in the Saudi conquest of Hejaz by Ibn Saud and his allies in 1925. Since then, Mecca has seen a tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure, with newer, modern buildings such as the Abraj Al Bait, the world s fourth-tallest building and third-largest by floor area, towering over the Great Mosque. The Saudi government has also carried out the destruction of several historical structures and archaeological sites, such as the Ajyad Fortress. However, many of the demolitions have officially been part of the continued expansion of the Masjid al-Haram at Mecca and the Prophet s Mosque in Medina and their auxiliary service facilities in order to accommodate the ever-increasing number of Muslims performing the pilgrimage (hajj). Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city. Under the Saudi government, Mecca is governed by the Mecca Regional Municipality, a municipal council of 14 locally elected members headed by the mayor (called Amin in Arabic) appointed by the Saudi government. In 2015, the mayor of the city was Osama bin Fadhel Al-Barr; as of January 2022, the mayor is Saleh Al-Turki. The City of Mecca amanah, which constitutes Mecca and the surrounding region, is the capital of the Mecca Province, which includes the neighbouring cities of Jeddah and Ta if, even though Jeddah is considerably larger in population than Mecca. Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud has been the provincial governor of the province since 16 May 2007. Located in منطقة مكة المكرمة, السعودية.
Mt. Arafat, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Makkah Al Mukarramah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Mt. Arafat, Mecca, Saudi Arabia is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 21.35489, 39.98412. Located in منطقة مكة المكرمة, السعودية.
Medina Province
5 sites
Al-Baqi', Medina, Saudi Arabia
Medina, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia
Al-Baqi', Medina, Saudi Arabia is a cemetery of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 24.46722, 39.61383. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islamic. Located in المدينة المنورة, منطقة المدينة المنورة, السعودية.
Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Sidi Hamzah, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia
Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, Medina, Saudi Arabia is a burial site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 24.50407, 39.61178. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islamic. Associated figure: Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib. Located in المدينة المنورة, منطقة المدينة المنورة, السعودية.
Masjid al Qiblatayn, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Medina, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia
Masjid al Qiblatayn, Medina, Saudi Arabia is a mosque of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 24.48263, 39.58145. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islam. Located in المدينة المنورة, منطقة المدينة المنورة, السعودية.
Masjid Quba, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Medina, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia
Masjid Quba, Medina, Saudi Arabia is a mosque of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 24.43925, 39.61729. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Islam. Located in المدينة المنورة, منطقة المدينة المنورة, السعودية.
Medina
Medina, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia
Medina is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 24.46888, 39.61116. Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (Arabic: المدينة المنورة, romanized: al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, lit. The Illuminated City , Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [al.maˈdiːna al.mʊˈnawːara]), also known as Taybah (Arabic: طيبة, lit. [the] Pure ) and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (يَثْرِب), is the capital of Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is one of the oldest and most important places in Islamic history. One of the most sacred cities in Islam, the population as of 2022 is 1,411,599, making it the fourth-most populous city in the country. Around 58.5% of the population are Saudi citizens and 41.5% are foreigners. Located at the core of the Medina Province in the western reaches of the country, the city is distributed over 589 km2 (227 sq mi), of which 293 km2 (113 sq mi) constitutes the city s urban area, while the rest is occupied by the Hejaz Mountains, empty valleys, agricultural spaces and older dormant volcanoes. Medina is generally considered to be the cradle of Islamic culture and civilization . The city is considered to be the second-holiest of three key cities in Islamic tradition, with Makkah and Jerusalem serving as the holiest and third-holiest cities respectively. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (lit. The Prophet s Mosque ) is of exceptional importance in Islam and serves as burial site of the prophet Muhammad, by whom the mosque was built in 622 CE (first year of the Hijrah). Observant Muslims usually visit his tomb, or rawdhah, at least once in their lifetime during a pilgrimage known as Ziyarat, although this is not obligatory. The original name of the city before the advent of Islam was Yathrib (Arabic: يَثْرِب), and it is referred to by this name in Chapter 33 (Al-Aḥzāb, lit. The Confederates ) of the Quran. It was renamed to Madīnat an-Nabī (lit. City of the Prophet or The Prophet s City ) after and later to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (lit. The Enlightened City ) before being simplified and shortened to its modern name, Madinah (lit. The City ), from which the English-language spelling of Medina is derived. Saudi road signage uses Madinah and al-Madinah al-Munawwarah interchangeably. The city existed for over 1,500 years before Muhammad s migration from Mecca, known as the Hijrah. Medina was the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim caliphate under Muhammad s leadership, serving as its base of operations and as the cradle of Islam, where Muhammad s ummah (lit. nation )—composed of Medinan citizens (Ansar) as well as those who immigrated with Muhammad (Muhajirun), who were collectively known as the Sahabah—gained huge influence. Medina is home to three prominent mosques, namely al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Quba Mosque, and Masjid al-Qiblatayn, with the Quba Mosque being the oldest in Islam. A larger portion of the Qur an was revealed in Medina in contrast to the earlier Meccan surahs. Much like most of the Hejaz, Medina has seen numerous exchanges of power within its comparatively short existence. The region has been controlled by Jewish-Arabian tribes (up until the fifth century CE), the ʽAws and Khazraj (up until Muhammad s arrival), Muhammad and the Rashidun (622–660), the Umayyads (660–749), the Abbasids (749–1254), the Mamluks of Egypt (1254–1517), the Ottomans (1517–1805), the First Saudi State (1805–1811), Muhammad Ali of Egypt (1811–1840), the Ottomans for a second time (1840–1918), the Sharifate of Mecca under the Hashemites (1918–1925) and finally is in the hands of the present-day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1925–present). In addition to visiting for Ziyarah, tourists come to visit the other prominent mosques and landmarks in the city that hold religious significance such as Mount Uhud, Al-Baqi cemetery and the Seven Mosques among others. The Saudi government has also carried out the destruction of several historical structures and archaeological sites, both in Medina and Mecca. Between 1904 and 1908, the Ottoman Empire constructed the Hejaz Railway, connecting Damascus to Medina. This project aimed to facilitate the pilgrimage journey and strengthen Ottoman control over the region Located in المدينة المنورة, منطقة المدينة المنورة, السعودية.
Tabuk Province
1 sites