Medina
Medina is a Holy City in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. Medina is generally considered to be the "cradle of Islamic culture and civilization".[1] The city is considered to be the second-holiest of three key cities in Islamic tradition, with Mecca and Jerusalem serving as the holiest and third-holiest cities respectively. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Literal translation: The Prophet's Mosque) is of exceptional importance in Islam and is the burial site of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, by whom the mosque was built in 622 AD (the first year of the Hijrah). Observant Muslims usually visit his tomb, or rawdhah, at least once in their lifetime during a pilgrimage known as Ziyarat, although this is not obligatory.
During the days of the Ottoman Empire a railway network was built, including the 'Hejaz line' (1900-1908) from Damascus all the way to Medina (810 miles) to permit, amongst other things, greater access for pilgrims. It was originally planned to go the additional 250 miles to Mecca but this was halted with the outbreak of The Great War. Parts of the line were blown up by the British, and the Sharif Husayn ibn 'Ali revolting against Turkish rule, during the War[2] .
