Manama: Saudi Arabia is to build a pilgrims’ city in the vicinity of Al Masjid Al Nabawi, the Prophet’s Mosque, in Madinah.
The city over 1.6 million square metres will be able to accommodate up to 200,000 people and will feature hotels, a hospital, offices, a bus station and a train station, Prince Faisal Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Madinah, said, quoted by news site Sabq on Monday.
The hospital will have 400 beds.
Madinah, known as the Radiant Madinah, is the second most sacred city for Muslims after Makkah and although it is not part of the Umrah or Haj (pilgrimage) tour, it is visited by millions of Muslims every year.
The city is home to the three oldest mosques in Islam, Al Masjid Al Nabawi - The Prophet’s Mosque, Qubaa’ Mosque - the first mosque in Islam’s history – and Masjid Al Qiblatain (The Mosque of the Two Qiblahs - the mosque where the direction of Muslim prayer, or qiblah, was switched from Jerusalem to Makkah.
Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] and two of his companions, the first and second caliphs Abu Baker and Omar, are buried next to him in the major green-domed mosque.
Madinah is about 400km away from Makkah.
