Wadi_al-Kura

Wadi al-Qura

Wadi al-Qura

Valley north of Medina in Saudi Arabia


Wadi al-Qura (Arabic: وادي القرى, lit.'Valley of Villages') is a wadi north of Medina in Saudi Arabia,[1] mentioned in early Islamic sources. It was located on the main trade road between the Hejaz and Syria. This valley is also called Imam-e-Mubeen (open way) Quran (al-Hijar).

The wadi is tentatively identified with the modern Wadi al-'Ula region. The meaning of the name, "Valley of Villages", suggests the area contained several villages. The 10th-century geographer Istakhri noted it was one of the most populous and agriculturally productive areas of Arabia. The 9th-century historian Ibn al-Kalbi described it as highly fertile and dotted with villages throughout.[2]

The wadi is referenced in many early Islamic texts. Several military expeditions took place there during the time of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. These include:

Recent discoveries of Geonic responsa have shown that there was a Jewish presence in Wadi al-Qura as late as the 11th century CE, and that they maintained correspondence with Rabbi Sherira Gaon and Rabbi Hai Gaon.[6]

See also


References

  1. Wensinck, AJ, "Kaynuka, banu", Encyclopaedia of Islam.
  2. Power, Timothy (2012). The Red Sea from Byzantium to the Caliphate: AD 500–1000. I.B.Tauris. p. 115.
  3. Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 206. (online)
  4. Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 211. (online)
  5. William Muir, The Life of Mahomet (2003), p. 394.
  6. Mazuz, Haggai (2014). The Religious and Spiritual Life of the Jews of Medina. Koninklijke Brill. p. 100. ISBN 9789004266094. Retrieved 2016-06-22.



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