With thousands of people visiting Uhud, many locals take the opportunity to set up stalls to sell souvenirs, perfume, rosary beads, herbs, books, copies of the Qur’an, dates, soft drinks and ice creams.

Nurul Haq Siraj, a Pakistani Umrah pilgrim, said he bought some herbs and rosary beads. “It is amazing the way goods are displayed here, and not to mention the diversity of goods on sale,” he said.

Khaled Ibrahim, an Umrah pilgrim from Egypt, began visiting the stalls immediately after visiting the graves of the Companions of the Prophet who were martyred in the battle. “I bought some bric-a-brac. I also posed for a photographer. This picture will remind me of this great place that I’ve had an opportunity of visiting. It will hopefully remind me about my pilgrimage when I return in the future,” he said.

On one side of the battlefield is the mountain of Uhud while on the other stands a rocky hillock where a group of photographers were taking pictures of pilgrims.

“Many pilgrims are eager to have their pictures taken here to remind them of this place. This hillock is famous and has a lot of historical significance,” said Khaled Al-Matarfi.

“We charge SR10 for one photo and SR15 for two photos. Even though mobile cameras have caused a slight drop in our business, we still manage to earn SR200 and SR300 a day,” he said.

The Battle of Uhud was the second military encounter between the pagans of Makkah and the Muslims of Madinah, which was preceded by the Battle of Badr (AD 624/2 AH) in which a small Muslim army defeated the much larger Makkan army. Marching out from Makkah to Madinah, the pagans desired to avenge their losses at Badr. The Muslims readied for war soon afterward and the two armies fought on the slopes and plains of Uhud. Whilst heavily outnumbered, the Muslims gained the early initiative and forced the pagan lines back, thus leaving much of the Makkah camp unprotected.

During the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) positioned 50 archers under Abdullah bin Jubair (may Allah be pleased with him) on the hillock facing Uhud Mountain to ensure the enemy does not attack the Muslims from behind. Instructing the 50 men, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Prevent the enemy from passing through the gap in the mountain by shooting arrows and don’t vacate this point at any cost whether we are defeated or victorious.”

During the battle, whenever the enemy tried to attack the Muslims by coming behind the hillock, the archers positioned on top would push them back. However, at one point during the battle, the enemy threw away their weapons and belongings and began fleeing the field. At this, the Muslims thought the battle had ceased and began collecting booty.

Seeing this, around 40 archers thought the battle was over and descended from the hillock to partake in the booty. However, at this point an enemy cavalry led by Khaled bin Walid (may Allah be pleased with him), who at that time had not accepted Islam, attacked the Muslims from behind by coming around the hillock. This was a huge setback for the Muslims of Madinah, resulting in the martyrdom of many leading Companions of the Prophet, including the Prophet’s uncle Hamza and Abdullah bin Jubair (may Allah be pleased with them).