Talk:Medina

Death Penalty

See Talk:Mecca#OK now I am confused. -- (WT-en) Colin 14:16, 6 April 2007 (EDT)

Scams

I've visited Medina a few times recently, and thought it would be useful to add more information about some of the scams operating in the city. Most people come with very sincere intentions, and are quite naive about the fact there will be many here desperate to reach into your wallet. They sadly imagine a "holy" city will be free of corruption. So I've added some extra information about ways you can get conned. MuslamicRay (talk) 08:49, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

This is great, a real service to travellers! We usually consolidate warnings about different scams and other dangers to a person's wallet and person into a "Stay safe" section, just before "Go next", so if you have the chance, you can do that, or I or someone else may take care of it. Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:08, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

I created the "Stay safe" section, bulleted the 3 scam warnings and left brief pointers or summaries in the "Get in", "Get around" and "Buy" sections. See if it looks OK to you, and thanks again for those excellent contributions! Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:19, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Thank you for consolidating. MuslamicRay (talk) 09:24, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

My pleasure. Ikan Kekek (talk) 10:00, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Adding A Listing

I would like to inquire about adding a listing to the Sleep section in the article under "Outside city center zone". Since there is only one property I believe we could enrich the article. Please find below the text for it:

• 1 Madinah Hilton, King Fahd Road, ☏ +966 14 820 1000, madinah.reservations@hilton.com. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 12:00. The hotel has 357 rooms with free Wi-Fi and a TV. There is a cafe that works from 10:00 AM to 11:45 PM and two restaurants on-site. The parking is free of charge. SAR 500-700. (updated Apr 2020)

Valgetova (talk) 08:19, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

Thanks, Valgetova. There is already a listing for this hotel, and anyway, a Hilton seems worth listing, so I think the only thing is question is the description, which seems alright to me. Any objections? Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:22, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

No, only the description could be added, the rest is good. Thank you! Valgetova (talk) 10:47, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

I'll wait till tomorrow to see if anyone else comments. Ikan Kekek (talk) 10:58, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

Sure, sounds good. Valgetova (talk) 07:31, 9 April 2020 (UTC)

No-one has objected, so I will add the description accordingly, with maybe a very slight tweak. Thanks for doing things the right way. Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:00, 9 April 2020 (UTC)

Thank you! Valgetova (talk) 05:34, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Masjid al-Quba.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 04:14, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

Oh no! Not another one! SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 04:19, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

Done SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 04:22, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

Thanks. I think File:Masjid Quba Mosque.jpg is a much better photo, though. Should we download that one and delete this one? Though it doesn't really matter much unless we put it visibly on the page. There's room if we want to do so. Ikan Kekek (talk) 05:23, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

idk. I've got that file downloaded if we need it. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 06:01, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

• Pedestrian View of Retractable Umbrellas.jpg

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 19:55, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Speedy deletion challenged to inquire about the specific reason for it. I'll await the response of the nominator. Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:44, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

File:Sliding Domes for the Courtyard of the King Fahd Extension of the Prophet‘s Holy Mosque in Madinah.jpg

This file is now a red link in the article. Apparently, it was deleted without any notice here. What should we do about that? Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:45, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

I searched for the file on Commons and got no results. When I've searched for deleted files, I've previously always turned up a record of their deletion. What do you all think is going on? Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:48, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

@Ikan Kekek: I think it's the way you've written the apostrophe backward in "Prophet's". --Comment by Selfie City (talk | contributions) 21:37, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Never mind, I see that is correct. Strange. --Comment by Selfie City (talk | contributions) 21:40, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

I added the thumbnail in this edit. -- Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:56, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Pedestrian View of Retractable Umbrellas.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 21:53, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Deleted as a probable violation of a photographer's copyright. Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:56, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Thanks :) SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 09:57, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Medina is open to non-Muslims?

It is? I had always understood that it was not. Is this something new? Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:04, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

I thought the same too. Perhaps @Roovinn: may know. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 05:20, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

I think it is, unlike Mecca, and has always been so, except the most central part that is considered holy in Islam. Wikipedia agrees: "Outside the haram, there are significant numbers of Non-Muslim migrant workers and expats." And this is a recently shared video of a non-Muslim travelling to Medina. Vidimian (talk) 08:03, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

Another confirmation from Wikipedia. Vidimian (talk) 08:09, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

OK, thanks for the information. Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:07, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

My experience as a non-Muslim Korean

Hey, I just flew out of Medina after a 4 day visit. Thought a few people may find this helpful.

I'm a Korean American non-Muslim. I never encountered any problems with my religious status; nobody at the airport asked me my religion, was just like flying into any other city. I was always honest about being a non-Muslim (I was only asked if I was Muslim like 6 times total though, always in casual conversation, and people always had a neutral reaction. They were just happy I was there enjoying their city) and respected the rule about not entering the main mosque grounds, although I probably could have easily just walked in and looked around without incident. It is genuinely unguarded and people tend to assume the best of you. I was often assumed to be a Chinese or Central Asian Muslim though so I just blended in; maybe if you stick out (e.g. blonde and blue-eyed or aren't wearing long pants) people may call you out more.

Otherwise being a non-Muslim wasn't an issue. My biggest gripe with the trip was food - I struggled to find restaurants I liked, and I spent hours researching various review sites and wandering around. I didn't even enjoy a single meal in the city... I love Middle Eastern food too. I considered eating at fancy hotel restaurants but they were expensive ($50 USD) for still mid-looking food. Half my meals were fast food and convenience stores :/

If you like Islamic history, it's worth a visit, but if you're a non-Muslim, temper your expectations a bit IMO. I wish I had spent three days there instead of four, there wasn't quite as much to see as I expected. The things to see, other than the main mosques, were also not as significant of spectacles as I expected. They're obviously of spiritual importance to over a billion people, but to a secular person it was just an OK experience. Toobigtokale (talk) 12:23, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

What an amazing experience! Thank you for sharing your insights with us. The information you've added will help a lot of travellers. Ground Zero (talk) 13:05, 21 November 2023 (UTC)