Dar Al Madinah Museum
دار المدينة
Dar al-Madinah
Overview
Dar Al Madinah Museum is a comprehensive cultural institution dedicated to preserving and presenting the rich history of Madinah from pre-Islamic times to the modern era. The museum features meticulously crafted scale models of the Prophet's Mosque at various stages of its expansion, along with rare manuscripts, historical artifacts, and multimedia presentations. It provides one of the best educational experiences available in the city for understanding Madinah's layered past.
Historical significance
The museum offers a unique opportunity to see detailed reconstructions of how Madinah and Masjid Nabawi looked during the Prophet's lifetime and through subsequent centuries of expansion. Exhibits cover the pre-Islamic history of Yathrib, the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ, the development of the first Muslim community, and the city's evolution through the Umayyad, Abbasid, Mamluk, Ottoman, and Saudi periods. The collection of historical maps, photographs, and architectural models provides context that enriches every other site visit in the city.
Did you know?
The museum contains a remarkable scale model showing that the original Masjid Nabawi built by the Prophet ﷺ was roughly the size of a single modern house, a striking contrast to today's mosque which covers hundreds of thousands of square meters.
Du'as
General supplication
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanah, wa fil-ākhirati ḥasanah, wa qinā ʿadhāb an-nār
Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire.
Nearby sites
المسجد النبوي
The Prophet's Mosque is the second holiest site in Islam and the spiritual heart of Madinah. It houses the Rawdah ash-Sharifah, a garden of Paradise between the Prophet's pulpit and his noble chamber, as well as the iconic Green Dome marking his blessed resting place. The mosque has been expanded many times throughout history and can accommodate over one million worshippers.
بيوت الصحابة
The area along the present Qiblah wall near Bab as-Salam marks where homes of several companions were located. Four are specifically identified: House of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, House of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, House of Ammar bin Yasir, and House of Nawfal bin Haris.
حجرات أمهات المؤمنين
Originally 9 chambers for the Prophet's wives. The chamber of Aisha became the Sacred Chamber. Other chambers were on the eastern and northern sides but have been incorporated into mosque expansions over the centuries.