The al-Madinah Museum (متحف المدينة المنورة), also known as the Medina Railway Museum (متحف سكة حديد المدينة), is a cultural and historical institution located in the city of Medina, modern day Saudi Arabia. The museum is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the heritage of the city, with a particular focus on its religious, social, and architectural development across the centuries. It houses archaeological collections, rare images, historical documents, and visual galleries that collectively illustrate the evolution of al-Madinah from its earliest times to the present day.
The museum contains an estimated 2,000 rare artifacts that document not only the physical and architectural transformation of al-Madinah but also its cultural and human history to some extent. Exhibits cover the landscape of the city, its people, and the ways in which social and religious life has been shaped over time. Among the most striking features of the museum is its detailed presentation of the evolution of the Prophet’s Mosque (al-Masjid an-Nabawi), tracing its transformation from the original structure—essentially the Prophet Muḥammad’s house and courtyard—into the vast and architecturally complex religious center that it is today.
The current museum occupies the historic site of the al-Ḥijāz Railway Station, a landmark originally constructed in 1908 CE during the Ottoman era. In 1983 CE, the Saudi authorities launched a project to transform this railway station into what is now al-Madinah Museum. As part of the initiative, a separate institution known as the Hejaz Railway Museum was also established on the same site. Because of this, al-Madinah Museum should not be confused with Dar al-Madinah Museum, a privately run collection located on the eastern outskirts of the city.
circa 2018 CE
The museum is arranged into fourteen thematic halls, each of which explores a different dimension of al-Madinah’s past and heritage. Visitors enter through the museum lobby, which introduces the institution and its mission. From there, the journey begins with galleries devoted to the environment, nature and history of al-Madinah, offering an understanding of the city’s geographical and ecological setting as the foundation of its human and cultural development.
Another important section highlights al-Madinah (Yathrib) in the Prophetic era, illustrating the life of the Prophet Muḥammad and the community that was established under his leadership. This is complemented by halls on the Muhājirūn (migrants), who left Mecca to join the Prophet in al-Madinah, and the Anṣār (supporters), the inhabitants of the city who welcomed them and provided aid. These displays emphasize the unity and solidarity that defined the formative Muslim community.
A dedicated hall to the Masjid Nabawi traces the physical and spiritual development of the Prophet's Mosque, from its modest beginnings to its successive expansions under different Islamic dynasties. Following this, a series of halls explore al-Madinah during later political periods: the reigns of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the First Saudi State, the Second Saudi State, and finally the era of King ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd, founder of modern Saudi Arabia. Each of these halls contextualizes al-Madinah’s role in wider political, religious, and social transformations across the Islamic world.
The final section, devoted to al-Madinah heritage, provides a broader reflection on the city’s traditions, material culture, and the lived experiences of its inhabitants across time. Collectively, these halls allow visitors to engage with al-Madinah not merely as a sacred space but as a dynamic city with a multifaceted history.
circa 2018 CE
Railway Museum
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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