Think Tank Makes Efforts to Preserve Madinah’s History

Author: 
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
Publication Date: 
Mon, 2007-02-05 03:00

JEDDAH, 5 February 2007 — The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) performed prayers in 43 different mosques in Madinah but of that number, only five now remain, according to a study conducted by the Madinah Research & Studies Center on the basis of historical evidence and authentic reports.

“Of these mosques only five now remain: the Prophet’s Mosque, Quba Mosque, Al-Ijaba Mosque and Qeblatain Mosque,” said Dr. Abdul Basit Badr, director of the center.

Badr said his organization had identified the mosques on a map with the help of satellite pictures. “We have also prepared a map of ‘Madinah during the time of the Prophet,’ which identifies residential areas and farms of major tribes, such as the Aus and the Khazraj, as well as the Muhajiroon (migrants from Makkah),” he said.

Badr attributed the spread of people in different areas as one of the main reasons for the growing number of mosques in those early times.

Some of the mosques belonged to Diyar Bani Salama, east of Madinah Islamic University, and Bani Salim ibn Auf, south of Quba Mosque. Other well-known mosques were: Bani Muawiya Mosque (Al-Ijaba), Bani Haritha Mosque, Bani Saeda Mosque, Sheikhain Mosque, Shajarah Mosque (Meeqat) and Bani Wa’el Mosque.

Some of the mosques have disappeared as a result of people moving out of the area, normal demographic expansion plus changes and new constructions, the study pointed out.

“We want to make use of history books on Madinah, especially those written by its people in order to identify the exact location of the mosques,” Badr said.

He explained that the center had plans to collect antiquities and manuscripts related to Madinah that are in universities, libraries and museums around the world. “These manuscripts will give us a clear vision of Madinah’s history and let us fill in the missing parts,” he said.

The center has already collected some 900 manuscripts, especially from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Princeton University in the US, in addition to the British Foreign Ministry’s reports on Madinah. The center cooperates with the King Faisal Research Center and the Institute of Manuscripts, an affiliate of the Arab League.

The center, Badr said, intends to produce films on the Prophet’s life. “The library at the Prophet’s Mosque contains a number of valuable manuscripts. We would like to publish an index of those manuscripts for the benefit of students and researchers,” he said. “We have completed translating a major encyclopedia of prominent figures in Madinah written by Imam Sakhawi. It contains much valuable information about Madinah and historic events there.”

The center has set up an exhibition in central Madinah, which features 13 pavilions on the Prophet’s life and history. The exhibition makes use of pictures, sound, films, models and maps. The pavilions cover the Prophet’s birth, his migration to Madinah, a model of the oldest Prophet’s Mosque, the social and economic life of tribes, the Prophet’s houses, the room of Aysha (may Allah be pleased with her), his wars and his death.

The exhibition is in Arabic, Turkish, English, Malay and French to benefit a wide number of visitors.

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