Places Mentioned in the Quran

Named in the Quran

Mecca lies in a narrow valley enclosed by rocky mountains in the Hejaz, on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula.

3:96 · 48:24 · 95:3 · 6:92

Named in the Quran

The Kaaba stands at the centre of al-Masjid al-Haram and is the qibla, the direction Muslims face in prayer.

2:125 · 2:127 · 2:144 · 5:97

Named in the Quran

Al-Isra 17:1 tells how the Prophet was taken by night from al-Masjid al-Haram "to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed".

17:1

Named in the Quran

Safa and Marwah are two small hills near the Kaaba. Al-Baqarah 2:158 counts them among "the symbols (sha'a'ir) of Allah" and states that there is no blame on those performing…

2:158

Named in the Quran

Arafat is a broad plain about 20 km east of Mecca. Al-Baqarah 2:198 tells the pilgrims: "When you pour forth from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram." This is the…

2:198

Named in the Quran

Al-Mash'ar al-Haram ("the Sacred Monument") is where al-Baqarah 2:198 commands pilgrims to remember Allah after pouring forth from Arafat.

2:198

Named in the Quran

The Quran mentions the Tur (the Mount) in many verses: as "Tur Sinin" in at-Tin 95:2 and as "Tur Sayna'" in al-Mu'minun 23:20.

95:2 · 23:20 · 19:52 · 2:63

Named in the Quran

Tuwa is called "the sacred valley" (al-wadi al-muqaddas) in the Quran.

20:12 · 79:16 · 28:30

Named in the Quran

Egypt is one of the countries most often named in the Quran. The story of Joseph, the struggle between Moses and Pharaoh and the departure of the Children of Israel all unfold…

12:21 · 12:99 · 10:87 · 43:51

Named in the Quran

Midian (Madyan) is the name of a people and their land in north-western Arabia, east of the Gulf of Aqaba.

28:22 · 7:85 · 11:84 · 20:40

Location is disputed

Hud 11:44 states that after the flood subsided, Noah's ark "came to rest on al-Judi".

11:44

Alluded to in the verses

Nineveh, the ancient Assyrian capital, lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris, opposite today's Mosul.

10:98 · 37:147

Named in the Quran

Al-Ahqaf means "the sand dunes" and is named in the Quran as the homeland of the people of 'Ad: "And remember the brother of 'Ad (Hud), when he warned his people in al-Ahqaf"…

46:21 · 46:24 · 46:25

Location is disputed

Describing the fate of 'Ad, Surat al-Fajr speaks of "Iram, possessor of lofty pillars (dhat al-'imad), the like of which had never been created in the lands" (89:6–8).

89:6 · 89:7 · 89:8

Named in the Quran

Al-Hijr is named as the homeland of the people of Thamud; Surat al-Hijr takes its name from 15:80: "And the people of al-Hijr denied the messengers." The Quran relates that…

15:80 · 15:82 · 7:74

Named in the Quran

Saba' (Sheba) was an ancient people who built a powerful kingdom in what is now Yemen, with Ma'rib as its capital.

27:22 · 34:15 · 34:16

Alluded to in the verses

The Quran tells of the prophet Lot's people and their cities in several suras.

11:82 · 15:76 · 37:137 · 53:53

Location is disputed

The Quran names one of the communities to which the prophet Shu'ayb was sent as "the Companions of the Thicket" (Ashab al-Aykah) (al-Hijr 15:78; ash-Shu'ara 26:176; Sad 38:13;…

15:78 · 26:176 · 38:13 · 50:14

Location is disputed

Al-Furqan 25:38 and Qaf 50:12 mention "the Companions of the Rass" alongside 'Ad and Thamud among the destroyed peoples.

25:38 · 50:12

Named in the Quran

Badr was a watering place and stopping point near the Red Sea coast, about 120 km (in a straight line) south-west of Medina.

3:123 · 8:41 · 8:42

Named in the Quran

Hunayn is a valley between Mecca and Ta'if. Shortly after the conquest of Mecca, in the eighth year after the Hijra (630 CE), the Muslims fought the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif…

9:25 · 9:26

Alluded to in the verses

Uhud is a mountain stretching just north of Medina. The Battle of Uhud against the Meccan polytheists was fought at its foot in the third year after the Hijra (625 CE).

3:121 · 3:152 · 3:153

Alluded to in the verses

The Cave of Thawr lies near the summit of Mount Thawr, south of Mecca.

9:40

Alluded to in the verses

Al-Hudaybiyah lies about 22 km west of Mecca on the old road to Jeddah; the area is known today as al-Shumaisi.

48:1 · 48:18 · 48:27

Named in the Quran

The opening verses of Surat ar-Rum (30:2–4) announce that the Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated "in the nearest land" and will be victorious within a few years.

30:2 · 30:3 · 30:4

Named in the Quran

Medina is a fertile oasis city in the Hejaz, about 340 km (in a straight line) north of Mecca.

33:13 · 9:101 · 63:8

Named in the Quran

Babylon, founded on the Euphrates in Mesopotamia, was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world.

2:102

Location is disputed

Surat al-Kahf (18:9–26) tells of a group of young believers who, persecuted for their faith, took refuge in a cave and by Allah's will slept there for many years.

18:9 · 18:10 · 18:17 · 18:22

Alluded to in the verses

Al-Buruj 85:4–8 condemns "the companions of the ditch" (ashab al-ukhdud), who cast believers into trenches of fire and sat watching, and says they took revenge on the believers…

85:4 · 85:5 · 85:6 · 85:7 · 85:8