Medina is a fertile oasis city in the Hejaz, about 340 km (in a straight line) north of Mecca. Before the Hijra it was called Yathrib; the Quran quotes this old name in al-Ahzab 33:13 as the words of the hypocrites, while it uses the name "al-Madinah" in many verses (e.g. at-Tawbah 9:101; al-Munafiqun 63:8).
The Prophet Muhammad emigrated here from Mecca in 622 CE, and the city became the centre of the first Muslim community. Major events such as Badr, Uhud and the Trench are tied to Medina. The Prophet's grave lies within the Prophet's Mosque at the heart of the city.
Today the capital of Saudi Arabia's Medina Province, it is regarded as the second holiest city in Islam after Mecca.