Muslim Travel Guide Medina: Quran Printing Complex, Camel Pilaf and Prophet Mosque Hotels
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Medina continues the sacred sites map, covering the King Fahd Quran Printing Complex, free Quran copies, camel pilaf, hotel dining, family travel, and practical notes near the Prophet Mosque.
Map of Sacred Sites in Medina is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Once you enter the workshop, you can see the printing process for the Quran, which is as impressive as a banknote factory. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Once you enter the workshop, you can see the printing process for the Quran, which is as impressive as a banknote factory.
After leaving the workshop, you can pick up a free copy of the Quran at the room by the entrance. The default is the original Arabic version, but if you ask, they will give you the language you want. We requested the Chinese-Arabic bilingual version translated by Ma Jian.
If you feel one copy is not enough, you can go to the shop at the entrance to buy other books.
These are the historical sites we visited in Medina. There are still some on my list that we didn't get to see because the area outside the north gate of the Prophet's Mosque is under expansion. Outside the east gate is the Baqi Cemetery, where about 10,000 companions of the Prophet and some of his family members are buried. These places look like yellow dirt construction sites from a distance and you cannot enter them. Many locations recorded in history no longer exist, and even the historical sites I photographed earlier were mostly rebuilt on their original locations, so you can no longer see traces left from ancient times.
Most of the time, we ate buffets at our hotel. At the strong suggestion of Dosti, we tried camel pilaf (zhua fan) in Medina once. The restaurant in the picture below is a fast-food chain that also has locations in Mecca.
This is a very traditional Arabic restaurant. The first floor is for individual diners and is covered with carpets; you spread a piece of paper on the carpet to eat. This type of restaurant does not allow female guests on the first floor, so families must go to the private rooms on the second floor. The restaurant pauses business during namaz time, and the staff will pull the curtains shut.
To be honest, this camel meat pilaf was very authentic. The texture of the camel meat is similar to beef and has no strange smell. The staff will provide spoons, as most locals now choose to eat with spoons instead of using their hands. Remember to perform wudu (minor ablution) after eating camel meat, as this was recorded in the Hadith.
For accommodation, it is best to stay somewhere close to the Prophet's Mosque that is within walking distance. Although it is expensive, it is very troublesome to travel back and forth every day if you are far away, and taxis are both expensive and inconvenient. We mostly chose to eat buffets at the hotel because there were seven of us, and it is hard to please everyone, so the buffet was a convenient choice. The buffet restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel is ranked number one for food in Medina on the TripAdvisor app because it offers a view of the Prophet's Mosque.
When dining at the hotel, you don't need to worry about family members being separated; everyone can sit wherever they like.
In our small Umrah group, only our family of three was here for the first time; everyone else had been here many times. Our first impression of the people we met in Medina was not good, which is consistent with the feelings of other families who come here often. Even some of our friends who have lived in the holy land for many years have mostly negative things to say about the locals. I was mentally prepared for this bad impression before I came. I see this phenomenon as proof of the backwardness of the believers. Just imagine, if everyone behaved with the character of the Prophet, I would actually be confused. If you were all that excellent, how could you be in such a backward position in today's world?
Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Medina continues the sacred sites map, covering the King Fahd Quran Printing Complex, free Quran copies, camel pilaf, hotel dining, family travel, and practical notes near the Prophet Mosque.
Map of Sacred Sites in Medina is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Once you enter the workshop, you can see the printing process for the Quran, which is as impressive as a banknote factory. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Once you enter the workshop, you can see the printing process for the Quran, which is as impressive as a banknote factory.
After leaving the workshop, you can pick up a free copy of the Quran at the room by the entrance. The default is the original Arabic version, but if you ask, they will give you the language you want. We requested the Chinese-Arabic bilingual version translated by Ma Jian.
If you feel one copy is not enough, you can go to the shop at the entrance to buy other books.
These are the historical sites we visited in Medina. There are still some on my list that we didn't get to see because the area outside the north gate of the Prophet's Mosque is under expansion. Outside the east gate is the Baqi Cemetery, where about 10,000 companions of the Prophet and some of his family members are buried. These places look like yellow dirt construction sites from a distance and you cannot enter them. Many locations recorded in history no longer exist, and even the historical sites I photographed earlier were mostly rebuilt on their original locations, so you can no longer see traces left from ancient times.
Most of the time, we ate buffets at our hotel. At the strong suggestion of Dosti, we tried camel pilaf (zhua fan) in Medina once. The restaurant in the picture below is a fast-food chain that also has locations in Mecca.
This is a very traditional Arabic restaurant. The first floor is for individual diners and is covered with carpets; you spread a piece of paper on the carpet to eat. This type of restaurant does not allow female guests on the first floor, so families must go to the private rooms on the second floor. The restaurant pauses business during namaz time, and the staff will pull the curtains shut.
To be honest, this camel meat pilaf was very authentic. The texture of the camel meat is similar to beef and has no strange smell. The staff will provide spoons, as most locals now choose to eat with spoons instead of using their hands. Remember to perform wudu (minor ablution) after eating camel meat, as this was recorded in the Hadith.
For accommodation, it is best to stay somewhere close to the Prophet's Mosque that is within walking distance. Although it is expensive, it is very troublesome to travel back and forth every day if you are far away, and taxis are both expensive and inconvenient. We mostly chose to eat buffets at the hotel because there were seven of us, and it is hard to please everyone, so the buffet was a convenient choice. The buffet restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel is ranked number one for food in Medina on the TripAdvisor app because it offers a view of the Prophet's Mosque.
When dining at the hotel, you don't need to worry about family members being separated; everyone can sit wherever they like.
In our small Umrah group, only our family of three was here for the first time; everyone else had been here many times. Our first impression of the people we met in Medina was not good, which is consistent with the feelings of other families who come here often. Even some of our friends who have lived in the holy land for many years have mostly negative things to say about the locals. I was mentally prepared for this bad impression before I came. I see this phenomenon as proof of the backwardness of the believers. Just imagine, if everyone behaved with the character of the Prophet, I would actually be confused. If you were all that excellent, how could you be in such a backward position in today's world?
