Madinah’s Friday Mosque beckons visitors

A popular site for pilgrims visiting Madinah is the Friday Mosque, known as the place where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) performed the first Friday prayers after his migration from Makkah.
The mosque, situated between gardens and parks, is about 500 meters from the Qubaa Mosque.
The Friday Mosque was earlier called the Atekah Mosque and before that, Valley Mosque because it is located at the bottom of the Ranawna Valley.
On the Friday morning after the Prophet finished building Al-Taqwa Mosque, he went to Madinah leaving Qubaa behind. The houses of Bani Al-Najjar were on his right in the eastern side, where his maternal uncles asked him to stay with them and pulled on the reins of his camel Al-Qaswa.
The Prophet told them to leave his camel alone because she had her own mind. She stopped later in the valley, where the Prophet prayed Friday prayers and performed the customary duties including delivering a sermon.
Kaab bin Ajrah reported that the Prophet prayed the first Friday in Bani Salem Mosque. It was the first Friday prayer in Islam, and the first Friday in Madinah after the migration of the Prophet to that city.
The roof of the mosque was repaired at the end of 9 Hijri (630 CE) by Shams Al Din Qawoon.
The mosque was rebuilt the first time during the reign of Omar bin Abdulaziz, and a second time during the Abbasid period between 155 and 159 Hijri (771 CE to 775 CE).
During the Ottoman period, Sultan Bezaid ordered its renewal in the mid-14th century.
Before the latest expansion, the mosque was built on a small hill and was 8 meters long and 4.5 meters wide, with a height of 5.5 meters. It had one dome made of red bricks and on its northern side was a hall 8 meters long and 6 meters wide.
During the reign of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 1412 Hijri (1991 CE), the mosque was rebuilt and expanded to several times its original size.