Jannat al-Baqi, the cemetery beside the mosque

The cemetery of the Prophet's city

Jannat al-Baqi — "the garden of Baqi", in full Baqi al-Gharqad after the boxthorn shrubs that once grew here — spreads over the ground immediately southeast of the Prophet's Mosque. It has been Medina's burial ground since the first years after the Hijrah: the first burials among the emigrants and the Ansar took place here in the Prophet Muhammad's own lifetime, and he visited the cemetery often, standing at night to pray for its dead. Authentic hadith preserve the greeting he taught for such visits: "Peace be upon you, abode of believing people; and we, God willing, shall join you." Fourteen centuries later, pilgrims at the fence repeat the same words.

Who is buried here

By traditional accounts, thousands of the Prophet's companions lie in al-Baqi, along with generations of Medina's people down to the present day — burials still take place. Among the most notable figures whom mainstream tradition places here:

• The Prophet's wives — most of the Mothers of the Believers, including Aisha, Hafsa, Umm Salamah and Zaynab; Khadijah (buried in Mecca) and Maymunah are the usual exceptions.
• His children — his daughters Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Zaynab, and his infant son Ibrahim. His daughter Fatimah is widely held to rest in al-Baqi too, though the exact spot was deliberately concealed and accounts differ.
• Uthman ibn Affan — the third caliph, buried in 656 CE at the cemetery's far eastern edge, in ground later incorporated into al-Baqi.
• The family of the Prophet — his uncle al-Abbas, his grandson Hasan ibn Ali, and the later imams of the Prophet's house honoured especially in Shia tradition: Ali Zayn al-Abidin, Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja'far as-Sadiq.
• Early scholars and aunts — figures such as the Prophet's aunt Safiyyah near the gate, and the jurist Malik ibn Anas, founder of the Maliki school.

His uncle Hamza is not here: he lies with the martyrs of Uhud at the foot of Mount Uhud.

Why the graves are unmarked

For most of its history al-Baqi looked very different. Domed mausoleums stood over the graves of the Prophet's family — the great dome over al-Abbas and Hasan was a landmark of the city — alongside cupolas for Uthman, the wives and others, built and rebuilt by successive dynasties. These structures were demolished in 1806 during the first Saudi state's control of the Hijaz, partially rebuilt under the Ottomans, and demolished definitively in 1925 after the region came under Ibn Saud, in line with the strict reformist doctrine that building over graves is impermissible. The demolitions remain a point of deep grief in Shia communities, for whom the imams' graves are among the holiest sites, and the anniversary is still marked. Today the cemetery is a walled expanse of bare earth and low plain stones, crossed by paved walkways, with signboards identifying the areas traditionally associated with the most notable burials.

Visiting hours and access

Entry is free but limited. The gates — the main one faces the mosque's eastern esplanade — open for men only, typically for a window after Fajr and another after Asr, each lasting an hour or two depending on season and crowds. Women are not admitted under current rules but can see most of the cemetery, and offer their greetings, from the perimeter walkways. Guides posted inside can point out the traditional locations of Uthman's grave, the wives' enclosure and the imams' area.

Common questions

Al-Baqi sits naturally alongside a Rawdah visit and a view of the Green Dome in a single morning at the mosque — the one-day plan in the itineraries shows how the timings fit together.