Al-Baqi Cemetery: The ancient burial ground that became a site of enduring religious conflict
In short: Located in Medina, Al-Baqi is the oldest Islamic cemetery, serving as the final resting place for many of the Prophet Muhammad's family and companions. Once adorned with elaborate domes and mausoleums, the site was twice razed to the ground, leaving behind a landscape of simple, unmarked stone mounds today.
Established in September 622 CE, Al-Baqi began as a plot of land covered in boxthorn that Muhammad designated as a public cemetery for the Muslim community in Medina. The first companion buried there was As'ad ibn Zurarah, followed by members of the Prophet's own family, including his daughter Ruqayyah in 624 and his son Ibrahim. Over the centuries, the site evolved from a simple burial ground into a place of architectural significance, with the Umayyad Caliphate, starting under Muawiyah I, expanding the grounds and erecting the first dome over the grave of the third caliph, Uthman.
The cemetery's transformation into a site of intense controversy began in the nineteenth century. In 1806, forces aligned with the Wahhabi-Saudi alliance demolished the tombs and mausoleums, citing a religious doctrine that prohibited the veneration of graves to prevent idolatry. Although these structures were later rebuilt during the period of Ottoman administration, the site faced a second, more permanent destruction following the Saudi conquest of the Hejaz. In 1926, under the authority of King Ibn Saud and with religious backing from Qadi Abd Allah ibn Bulayhid, the Ikhwan militia razed the remaining structures, including even basic gravestones.
The aftermath of the 1926 demolition left the cemetery in a state described by British observer Eldon Rutter as resembling the wreckage of an earthquake. Despite widespread protests from both Sunni and Shia communities, who commemorate the event annually as the Day of Sorrow, the Saudi authorities have maintained the site in its current, austere state. While various religious scholars and political figures, particularly from Iran, have lobbied for the restoration of the shrines since 1982, the Saudi government has consistently rejected these requests, ensuring that Al-Baqi remains a stark, unadorned space in the heart of Medina.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Al-Baqi Cemetery
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