Medina is revered by Muslims as prophet Muhammad's destination after his emigration (hijra in Arabic) from Mecca in 622 AD.
The city is located in Hijaz, about 100 miles from the Red Sea and 215 miles north of Mecca.
Although it is not mandatory, many pilgrims to Mecca also visit Medina.
The city became the southern terminus of the Ottomans' Hijaz Railway upon its completion in 1908.
The site of a major Ottoman garrison during World War I, Medina and the rest of Hijaz came under Hashimite rule after the empire's defeat.
Relatively abundant water has enabled Medina to have an important agricultural hinterland, with dates the main crop.
Long a center of Islamic learning, the city now hosts the Islamic University of Medina.
Here are eight things about Medina which people probably do not know
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