QUBA MOSQUE

6 km south of Medina, on the edge of the^3rd ring, the Quba mosque is the first mosque in the world. During his exile from Mecca, Muhammad took refuge in Medina. He stopped for 14 days in Quba, a small village in the vicinity of Medina, waiting for his son-in-law Ali who ensured his back. Legend has it that he built this mosque on the spot where his camel stopped. The Prophet would have laid the first stones of the building which was built by his companions. Once in Medina, the Prophet would have continued to go to the mosque of Quba every Saturday. He would perform his ablutions at home and perform two ra'kah, the iterations and movements performed during the prayer, upon arriving at the mosque. He advised his companions to do the same, because according to Quranic tradition, performing ablutions followed by prayer at the Quba Mosque is equivalent to performing umrah, the short pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Quba Mosque was completely rebuilt in 1986 according to the plans of the award-winning Egyptian architect Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil. He was inspired by the style of Medina, known for its simplicity. He sketched a rectangular building on two floors. The basalt base is visible from the outside while the upper floor is plastered with white. 50 small white domes top the ceilings of the buildings that frame the inner courtyard, while 6 larger domes top the prayer hall. An octagonal minaret is placed in each corner. The Quba Mosque is the second largest mosque in Medina.