Seven Mosques (Al-Masajid al-Sab'a)

The Seven Mosques, known in Arabic as al-Masajid al-Sab'a, stand at the western foot of Mount Sal' in the north west of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. They are linked to the Battle of the Trench, or Battle of al-Khandaq, which took place in 627 CE, the fifth year after the Hijra.

During the battle, a coalition of tribes besieged Madinah. On the advice of Salman al-Farsi, a companion of Persian origin, the Muslims dug a trench across the open northern approach to the city. The small mosques are traditionally said to mark places where the Prophet Muhammad and his companions kept watch or prayed during the siege.

Although they are called seven, the number of mosques counted has varied over time. The best known are Masjid al-Fath, the Mosque of Victory, which stands highest on the hillside and is linked to the Prophet's prayer for victory, and the mosques named after Salman al-Farsi, Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima. Several of the original small structures were simple stone buildings, some dating from the Ottoman period.

In recent decades the area has been redeveloped, and a large modern mosque, Masjid al-Khandaq, was built nearby to serve worshippers. Some of the small mosques have been restored, while others are no longer standing in their earlier form.

The site is included in most ziyarat tours of Madinah. Visitors should dress modestly and respect prayer times.

How many mosques are there today? Six small mosques stand at the site. From north to south they are Masjid al-Fath, also called the Ahzab Mosque, then the mosques of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Fatimah al-Zahra and Salman al-Farsi. The seventh in the popular count is often Masjid al-Qiblatayn, about one kilometre away, which pilgrims usually visit on the same trip. Masjid Salman al-Farsi lies about 20 metres south of Masjid al-Fath.

The first stone mosques were built in the Umayyad era, when Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz governed Madinah, between 706 and 712. They were renovated in 1179 on the orders of the minister Sayf al-Din ibn Abi al-Hayja and rebuilt in 1851, with further work since. Masjid al-Fath is the largest and stands on a rise on the western slope of Mount Sal'. Tradition holds that the Prophet prayed there during the battle and that Surat al-Fath was revealed at this place.