Muslim Spaces of Worship and Gathering

The Mosque of The Prophet
al-Masjid al-Nabawi
al-Madina al-Munawwara, Saudi Arabia
Built in 622 CE by the Muslim community
in Yathrib, later called al-Madina al-
Munawwara, the mosque of the Prophet
was situated next to the Prophet’s house.
It was essentially a square enclosure, built
with palm trunks and mud walls and was
accessed through three doors, Bab al-
Rahma, Bab Jibril and Bab al-Nisa’. Within
this enclosure, there was a shaded area to
the south called the suffrah, which aligned
the prayer space facing north, towards
Jerusalem. Later on, the Prophet changed
the direction of this space (qibla) to the
south – facing masjid al-Haram or the
Ka’ba, in the city of Mecca. Seven years
later, the mosque was doubled in size, to
accommodate the increasing number of
Muslims.
Floor plan of al-masjid al-Nabawi as it may
have looked in the time of the Prophet.
Credit: Keith Turner (Draftsman), MIT Libraries,
Aga Khan Documentation Centre.
Read more about al-Masjid al-Nabawi
Courtyard of al-Masjid al-Nabawi.
Credit: Adzril, Creative Commons.
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