Jannat al-Baqi

Jannat al-Baqi, also called Baqi al-Gharqad, lies southeast of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, in the centre of Madinah. It is the oldest and first Islamic cemetery of the city and is still used for burials today.

The cemetery dates from the early years of Islam after the Hijrah. Among those buried here are many members of the Prophet Muhammad's family, including several of his wives and his daughter Fatimah according to many accounts, his son Ibrahim, his uncle Al-Abbas, the third caliph Uthman ibn Affan and thousands of his companions.

Domes and shrines once stood over many graves. They were removed in the early twentieth century, and today the graves are marked by simple stones in line with the Saudi authorities' religious approach. The cemetery is a large walled area with paths between the graves.

Men may visit at set times, usually after the Fajr and Asr prayers, while women are generally not admitted inside but may view from outside the walls. Visitors should be quiet and respectful, and photography of graves is discouraged. Rules are set by the Saudi authorities and can change.

The Prophet's family and companions buried here

Al-Baqi holds the graves of many members of the Prophet's household and of his companions. Among the Ahl al-Bayt are his daughter Ruqayya, his son Ibrahim, his grandson Hasan ibn Ali, and the later imams Ali al-Sajjad, Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja'far al-Sadiq. Companions buried here include As'ad ibn Zurara, Uthman ibn Maz'un and Abu Hurayra. The exact place of Fatimah's grave is not known.

Umayyad expansion and the domes over the graves

The cemetery grew in stages. Muawiyah I, the first Umayyad caliph, made the first large expansion by joining a neighbouring cemetery where Uthman ibn Affan had been buried. Later Umayyad rulers built the first dome over Uthman's grave, and many more domes and shrines followed over the centuries.

Those structures were levelled twice. Forces of the Emirate of Diriyah razed them in 1806. They were rebuilt and razed again in 1925 or 1926 under the Sultanate of Nejd, with one source dating the start of the demolition to 21 April 1926. The plain graves you see today date from that time, and the second demolition is still mourned each year by many Shia Muslims.