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Home > Madinah calling: Exploring the Prophet s city
Madinah calling: Exploring the Prophet s city
RAWAN RADWAN
Published

Wednesday 24 June 2015

Last update 24 June 2015 12:27 am

Author: Rawan Radwan
Wed, 2015-06-24 03:00
The holy city of Madinah Al-Munawwarah has its very special place in history. It
is where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) migrated to and was welcomed
with open arms by the inhabitants of the city. Hundreds of years after the proph
et s migration the city is still as welcoming to everyone as it has ever been. Fam
ilies that are originally from the beautiful city tell of family gatherings, nei
ghborhood festivities, visits to historic sites and so much more.
Madinah has been a keen interest for many khalifats during the numerous Islamic
dynasties in the past, taking care of the city has always been a priority. It ha
s always been an important city in Islam, the second holiest city after Makkah A
l-Mukarramah, and for centuries the city has expanded around Masjid Al-Nabawi an
d protected by four beautifully constructed historical gates. The city loved the
Prophet (pbuh) and which he in turn loved, the care of the city was always a pr
iority for the caliphates, the Saudi government and the residents of the city fo
r years.
Photography is one of the best methods of capturing the essence of a location, a
nd what best way to preserve a city s history than through a lens. Moath Al-Ofi is
a photographer, born and raised in the holy city and for years he s been searchin
g for the old city of Madinah and discovering its true essence one picture at a
time. I ve been away from my city due to my studies abroad for about eight years an
d was very surprised with the amount of change the city has gone through in the
time I was away. It was like it was a new place with a new life, areas outside M
adinah where we used to spend weekends became new neighborhoods connected to the
city and the old were transformed into new. The expansion is all around the cit
y and because of this, I had come up with the idea of searching for the city in
early 2013 and have since rediscovered some of the hidden gems of this beautiful
city.
Every historic city has its hidden treasures buried among the concrete jungle of
the 21st century and Madinah is no exception. The city is going through a major
overhaul to accommodate the vast amounts of pilgrims and visitors, from foreign
ers to locals, that flock the city all year around, so it s easy to get lost in it
s wonder. The city s grand history speaks for itself and for years people have bee
n flocking into the city, some pass by and some settle due to its beauty and pro
found importance. Some might wonder why someone would go and dig into the past,
why wouldn t they cover the marvels of everyday life? The answer is simple, what m
akes a place special is its humble beginnings.
Old is gold, I personally am very connected with the old Madinah along with its n
otable neighborhoods and alleyways. I believe that the city will truly prosper a
nd become great but I tend to stay close to the old. I feel like it s a race again
st time, I m always searching and documenting what I find in order to preserve it
the way it is. It s a wonder how things change so fast but then that s natural evolu
tion for the better. People don t really know Madinah the way residents see it and
that s where I try to come in. I m documenting what I find and post it on social me
dia to educate others, to show the essence of Madinah and give them a glimpse of
its true inhabitants.
Moath s photos are not centered solely around Masjid Al-Nabawi, he goes deep into
the city s old neighborhoods, historic mosques, locations of great battles, abando
ned castles, souqs and he frequently visits and documents the surrounding mounta

ins of the city and features tidbits of the significance of a certain mountain.
He also ventures outside of the city walls and villages, valleys and craters spr
ead about Madinah s province.
I m rediscovering relatively unknown areas, I was fortunate enough to get a hold of
many books and guides that lead me to these places. Many places still hold old
ruins such as the Khaibar castle, it s about 70 km away from the location where th
e battle took place but you d be surprised to see so many palm trees in an area wh
ere there s a lot of dormant volcanoes. There was the Asfan Castle near the Hijra
Highway for example and many resting oases where the pilgrims used to stop as th
ey head toward Makkah that are still standing and so much more. I m in awe of thes
e places and I strive to revive them through my pictures. Many of my followers a
re surprised by them and didn t even know they existed.
Moath has been able to document areas little known to people, the only knowledge
of these areas might be through historians or their inhabitants. He has visited
areas so rare and that hold so much history that it s a wonder how they re still st
anding. Rwawah Beck, some 40 km from Madinah, is a spot that was visited frequen
tly by pilgrims headed to Makkah to perform the annual Haj and that goes back to
as early as the rule of Khulafa a Al-Rashidun. He s photographed Mount Tathru, Whit
e Mountain, volcanic craters such as Al-Wahbah crater, seaside towns such Al-Sha
ba n and much more.
I m very keen on photographing everything I feel is worth documenting, there will c
ome a time when the next generation might not see what I see, I take pictures at
every opportunity I get to educate those who will not be able to share my exper
iences and the things I see. It s a form of preservation that would allow the view
er to transport to a time when the picture was taken and through that go back in
to some other time, it s a cycle and your imagination can just play its roll.
The number of historic mosques in Madinah surpass that of any other city in the
Kingdom. Moath s pictures portray the connection of the visitors with the Creator,
the humbleness and pure devotion as they pray or simply sit and reflect on the
fine creations of the Creator. Some of the mosques are squeezed between alleyway
s and some are well known such as Thu Al-Qiblatain Mosque, Sultan Abdul Hameed t
he Second Mosque or aka Al-Anbariyah, Masjid Quba, Mohammed Adeh Mosque, Masjid
Al-Fat h and many more that hold historic significance and were built in different
centuries.
Even though Moath has spent all his life in the city, he s still finding new place
s as he goes and tours the city. I feel like the Madinah that I want to see is th
e old Madinah. I m still discovering things as I go along the city. There was one
place I wish I was able to photograph
the old courtyards of Madinah. They re a gro
up of houses surrounded by a wall and one gate which closes during the night. Th
e significance of these courtyards is that they were built and designed in old I
slamic architecture. It s been said that the city held over 70 of these courtyards
at a time but they have since been removed. It would ve been a beautiful sight to
see.
Moath s quest for his search of Madinah is still on-going and he is working on dif
ferent photography series. Be sure to follow up on more from Moath through his I
nstagram account Moaz84 and his snapchat holding the same name as he continues his
quest in search for Madinah Al-Munawwarah.