To those who have been to Medinah, for only one time or many times, they would all agree that it is a city of overwhelming emotions and a city that promises coinstantaneous experiences in the domain of religion and spirituality. But, Medinah is not only a city for pilgrims; it is also an international center for Arab and Islamic heritage. And, now the city has been declared as the capital city of Islamic culture for 2013.
A critically significant city in Islamic history, Madinah today promises an eternal experience, excitement and pleasure besides interesting tours and entertaining adventures. In addition to the sacred core of the old city, Medina is a modern, multi-ethnic city inhabited by native Saudi population, Arabs and an increasing number of expatriate workers including Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Filipinos. Here, alongside Madinah’s fascinating Islamic, historic and archeological sites, there are amazingly modern tourist attractions for lovers of culture, arts, architecture and gastronomic delights with predominantly Arabic cuisine.
These attractions and experiences have doubled this year with the declaration of Medinah as capital city of Islamic culture. The yearlong celebrations to mark Madinah as capital city of Islamic culture was kicked off by Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, second deputy premier and minister of defense, on March 13, 2013. The high-profile celebrations, which coincided with the historic expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque, is being led by Prince Faisal Bin Salman, governor of Madinah region.
The preparations for the celebrations started immediately after the Rabat-based Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) picked up Madinah as Islamic culture capital. The celebration of Madinah, Prince Faisal said, “reflects the city’s cultural, Islamic, humanitarian and global dimensions and its outstanding contributions to the world civilization during the past 14 centuries.” It will be interesting for any visitor to the city to “rediscover Madinah”, where a large number of sites and structures currently restored by the state-owned Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) shed new light on Islam, the Arab history and heritage. According to a survey conducted by SCTA, there are 384 historical sites in Makkah and Madinah, with Madinah alone having 266 sites. “These sites are very important for Muslims as they tell tales of history and progress of Islam”, said Prince Sultan Ibn Salman, SCTA’s chief, while referring to the culture capita of Islam. In fact, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), while staying in Medinah, played a leading role with his companions in achieving Muslim unity and solidarity among the ranks of files of Islamic leaders.
“This resulted in the formation of the highest human civilization based on equality and justice,” the Madinah governor said. Prince Faisal underscored the historical, cultural, social and economic importance of Madinah. It is the symbol of Islamic unity as Muslims from all over the world visit the city to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque and pay tribute to the Prophet of Islam. As far as the historical
growth of the city is concerned, Madinah is critically significant in Islamic history.
Records indicate that ‘Al Madinah Al Munawarrah’, one of the world’s ancient cities, was built by the 5th generation of the descendants of Prophet Noah (PBUH) when they were looking for a home to settle in. During their search, they found a prairie surrounded by mountains, and decided to build a village there, and call it after their leader “Yathrib”. Yathrib was unknown for long ages (future archaeological discoveries might tell us more about this period) until its name
appeared in the Minaean, Assyrian and Greek inscriptions that date back to a score of centuries before the Hijra (the emigration of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Al Madinah). Those inscriptions and scriptures reveal that Yathrib was a station on the route between the Levant and Yemen, and that its people lived peacefully away from the bloody wars between the big kingdoms, under the sovereignty of the Hejaz kingdom.
From here, Madinah passed from different phases of human history, while asserting its position as the power base of Islam under Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and then under the caliphs of Islam. The city is also home to the three oldest mosques in Islam namely the Prophet’s Mosque, Quba Mosque and the Mosque of the Two Qiblahs. It is important to note that Madinah has had a cultural legacy and glorified heritage. And, this legacy will be showcased at about 400 cultural, scientific and heritage related programs to be staged on 30 different locations in Madinah during the year. These programs organized as part of celebrations of Medinah as capital of Islamic culture will also showcase the cultural, historical, social and economic features of this holy city that qualified this ancient city for becoming the cultural capital of Islam. A series of expedition tours will be organized to the city’s landmarks for local and foreign visitors on this occasion as Medinah today is also one of the most modern cities in the world besides its history and heritage that are well-preserved.
The implementation of the Medina Knowledge Economic City Project launched by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has given the city a new face lift in the domain of knowledge and education. The Madinah Knowledge Economic City (KEC) is aimed to serve Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification strategy and revive Madinah’s role as a center for Islamic knowledge, culture and faith. The KEC is a 4.8 million square meter zone located only five kilometers from the holy mosque on the main axis connecting the airport and train station.

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