Madinah

Madinah - The Radiant City - While Makkah is known internationally as a place that draws people to it, Madinah, 'The Radiant City' is less well known outside the Islamic world. Located about 450 kilometers north, Madinah is Islam's second most important site. Known originally as Yathrib, it was to Madinah that the Prophet Mohammed and his devotees fled to avoid persecution in the year 622. This flight from danger, known as the 'hijrah', symbolizes the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
The Prophet Mohammed built a mosque from palm - tree trunks and bricks and this simple holy place has expanded over the centuries. Today's Prophet's Mosque is splendid place of worship holding over one million people.