Tourist Attractions in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam. It is home to numerous Islamic holy sites. In 2019, the kingdom liberalized its tourism sector, making it easier for foreigners to obtain tourist visas. Here are a few of Saudi Arabia’s tourist attractions.
Masjid Al Haram
Masjid al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world and it surrounds the Kaaba, a place which Muslims worldwide turn towards while offering daily prayers and is Islam’s holiest place. The mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque.
Masjid al Nabawi
Masjid al-Nabawi, located in Madina, is one of the most important symbols of Islam. It is regarded as the world’s second holiest mosque. Masjid al-Nabawi in Saudi Arabia was built by the Prophet himself and later Islamic rulers expanded it to its current size.
Al-Ula
Al-Ula is one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia. This is an ancient site that had once been the hub of trade and commerce. Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia is located somewhere between Al Madinah and Tabuk in the central region of Saudi Arabia.
Dumat-al-Jundal
Dumat al-Jandal is an ancient city of ruins and the historical capital of the Al Jawf Province, northwestern Saudi Arabia. This mysterious city is mentioned by the name “Adamatu” in the Assyrian records. The present name of the city means “Dumah of the Stone”, after the name of Dumah, one of the twelve sons of Ismael.
Jabal Al-Lawz
Jabal al-Lawz is a mountain in northwest Saudi Arabia, near the Jordanian border, rising 2,580 meters above the Gulf of Aqaba. The name translates as ‘almond mountain’.
Jamarat Bridge
The Jamaraat Bridge is a pedestrian bridge located in Mina, Saudi Arabia, near Makkah. It is used by Muslims during the Hajj ritual of Stoning the Devil. The bridge was built to allow pilgrims to throw stones at the three jamrah pillars from either the ground or the bridge.
Jannat al-Baqi
Jannat al-Baqi is a burial ground that is of great historical significance to the Muslims as it contains the remains of many relatives and friends of the prophet Mohammed including his mother wife and grandfather. It is also known as al-Baqi.
Jawatha Mosque
The Jawatha Mosque is situated in Al Khilabiyah and you have to travel approximately a distance of 12 kilometers Northeast of Hofuf before you reach this place. It was the earliest known mosque built in eastern Arabia. The Jawatha Mosque was constructed in the 7th Century by a tribe known by the name of Bani Abdul Qais that inhabited the area in the early Islamic period.
Masjid al-Qiblatain
The Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Mosque of the Two Qiblas) is a mosque in Medina where it is believed that Prophet Muhammad received the command to shift the Qibla (direction of prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca. The mosque was constructed in the year 2 AH by Sawad ibn Ghanam ibn Ka’ab and is one of the few mosques in the world to contain two mihrabs (niches indicating the qibla) facing opposite directions.
Madain Saleh
Madain Saleh, also known as Hegra or Al-Hijr, is an archaeological site in the Al Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. It is located in the area of Al-Ula. The majority of the relics date from the kingdom of Nabatea.
Mount Uhud
It was here that the second battle between Muslims and unbelievers took place. On 19 March 625 CE, the Battle of Uhud was fought between a force from the small Muslim community of Medina in what is now northern Arabia and a force from Mecca.
Quba Mosque
The Quba Mosque in Madinah is the city’s second-largest mosque, after the Prophet’s Mosque, and was constructed in the first year of the Islamic calendar. Since its construction, the Masjid Quba has undergone numerous renovations and now resembles a modern twentieth-century Islamic structure. The mosque is significant to Muslims because it was constructed by the Prophet Muhammad and is believed to be the site of the first Friday prayers.
