Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi)

The mosque founded by the Prophet Muhammad, whose tomb lies beneath the Green Dome; giant parasols shade its plazas.

Under the famous Green Dome, in the south-east corner, lies the resting place of the Prophet Muhammad, together with the first two caliphs (leaders of the early Muslim community), Abu Bakr and Umar. Over almost 1,400 years, rulers have rebuilt and enlarged the mosque again and again. Today it is one of the largest mosques in the world, with ten tall minarets and courtyards shaded by giant umbrellas that open and close.

History

The first mosque was small and simple: an open courtyard about 30 by 36 metres, with a roof of palm trunks, clay and palm leaves only about 3.6 metres high. It took seven months to build. Besides being a place of prayer, it was a community centre, a court and a school. Later rulers expanded it many times, and the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I brought the Prophet's tomb inside its walls. In 1909 it became the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to get electric lights.

The Green Dome and the minarets

A dome was first built over the Prophet's tomb in 1279, made of wood, and later rebuilt in stone. It was painted green in 1837 and has been called the Green Dome ever since. The four corner towers added in al-Walid's time may have been among the very first minarets, the tall towers from which the call to prayer is given. A huge expansion between about 1985 and 1994 added six new minarets about 104 metres tall, bringing the total to ten.

Keeping cool in the desert

Medina can be extremely hot, so the mosque has clever ways to shade worshippers. Its flat roof has 27 domes that slide along metal tracks: they can cover the prayer hall or roll aside to let in light and air. Outside, 250 giant electric umbrellas stand in the courtyards. They fold up like flowers when they are not needed and open to shade about 143,000 square metres of ground, about the area of 20 football pitches.

On the globe

The model shows the great mosque in Medina with its Green Dome, tall minarets and wide plazas shaded by giant parasols. Zoom in to find the green dome among the minarets.