Medina Webcam – Prophet’s Mosque and the Green Dome

The Medina Webcam shows Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet’s Mosque, live from the center of Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is not one fixed camera. The picture is the live broadcast of Sunnah TV, a Saudi Broadcasting Authority channel, carried on YouTube by the Naimat channel, so it cuts between rooftop cameras and shots inside the prayer halls. From the rooftops, the Green Dome, tall pale minarets and the white umbrellas over the courtyards fill most of the frame, with hotel blocks and bare mountains behind. The crowds are what change most. On one late October day, the plaza beside the dome stood nearly empty at 11:10 and was packed at 19:45 local time.

About Medina

Medina sits about 620 meters (2,030 feet) above sea level in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, about 250 kilometers (160 miles) from the country’s west coast and 720 kilometers (450 miles) northwest of Riyadh. The 2022 census counted about 1.4 million residents. The Prophet’s Mosque stands at the heart of the city and is the second holiest site in Islam, after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.

Muhammad founded the mosque in 622, after he arrived in Medina, and he is buried in a chamber beneath the Green Dome. Later rulers rebuilt and enlarged it many times. The Saudi expansion begun under King Fahd in 1985 was completed in 1992 and took the mosque past 160,000 square meters (1.7 million square feet), with a listed capacity of one million worshippers.

Several things in the rooftop shots have their own dates. The present Green Dome was built in 1817 under the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II and painted green in 1837. Six of the mosque’s ten minarets came with the Saudi expansion and each reach about 104 meters (341 feet). The 250 umbrellas shading about 143,000 square meters (1.54 million square feet) of the outer courtyards were installed in a 2010 project. The broadcast keeps its own graphics on screen: a channel logo, the words Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the temperature, the Hijri date and a clock on Medina time. During some programs an English subtitle strip runs across the lower part of the picture, and tower cranes can stand beyond the far courtyards in the wider shots.

Weather and Climate in Medina

Medina has a hot desert climate. Winter is the gentlest season, with January averaging 12°C to 24°C (54°F to 76°F). Spring warms quickly, and April averages 22°C to 36°C (71°F to 96°F). Summer is severe: July averages 30°C to 43°C (86°F to 109°F), which is what the courtyard umbrellas are for. Autumn cools slowly, with October still averaging 24°C to 37°C (74°F to 99°F).

Rain is rare, at about 60 millimeters (2.35 inches) a year, and nearly all of it falls between November and May. The sky behind the minarets is typically a clear blue, although clouds can build by late afternoon. Floodlights keep the marble courtyards bright after dark, so the mosque stays easy to see at night while the mountains behind it mostly fade into the dark.

Things to Do Near Medina

Mount Uhud, at 1,077 meters (3,533 feet) the highest peak in Medina, rises about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the mosque and is the site of the Battle of Uhud. The Mosque of the Leader of Martyrs stands at its base, rebuilt larger after the old building was demolished in 2012. Quba Mosque, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) south, was built by Muhammad on his arrival in 622 and is often described as the oldest mosque in Islam. Masjid al-Qiblatayn is among the city’s other prominent mosques.

The old Medina station of the Hejaz Railway, the line built from Damascus between 1904 and 1908, is now a museum. For onward travel, the Haramain high-speed railway links Medina and Mecca in under three hours, calling at King Abdullah Economic City and King Abdulaziz International Airport near Jeddah. Inside the mosque, entry to the Rawdah, the area between the minbar and the burial chamber, runs on timed permits booked through the Nusuk app.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cover the other holy city, the same country and another great religious site.

• Mecca Webcam
• Western Wall Webcam
• Salwa Port Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Medina located?

Medina is in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, about 250 kilometers (160 miles) from the west coast and 720 kilometers (450 miles) northwest of Riyadh. The high-speed railway reaches Mecca in under three hours.

What can you see on the Medina Webcam?

The Prophet’s Mosque, from several angles. Rooftop shots take in the Green Dome, the minarets, the umbrella-covered courtyards and the hotels and mountains beyond. Other shots go inside to the striped arches, columns and rows of worshippers in the prayer halls.

Can you watch Masjid Nabawi live today on this webcam?

Yes. The player carries the live Sunnah TV broadcast from the mosque, and the channel on YouTube says it follows the prayers, the call to prayer and the sermons. The clock on screen shows the current time in Medina, which is a quick way to confirm the picture is live.

Is this the Medina in Saudi Arabia or Medina, Ohio?

This one is in Saudi Arabia. It has nothing to do with Medina, Ohio, Medina, New York, or Medina Lake, which share the name and show up in the same searches.

Does the Medina Webcam show the airport?

No. Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport is about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) northeast of the mosque, well outside these shots.

What is the weather like in Medina?

Hot and very dry. January averages 12°C to 24°C (54°F to 76°F) and July averages 30°C to 43°C (86°F to 109°F), with about 60 millimeters (2.35 inches) of rain a year. The broadcast shows the current temperature in the lower left corner.

Can you see the Prophet’s Mosque at night on the webcam?

Yes. The courtyards and minarets are floodlit, and the evening crowds can be thicker than the midday ones. The channel bills the stream as running 24/7, so a dark sky with a bright mosque is what to expect after sunset in Medina.

Can non-Muslims visit the Prophet’s Mosque?

The sacred core of the old city around the mosque is off limits to non-Muslims, so a live broadcast is the closest view many people will get of the courtyards. Check the current rules before planning a trip.

Source: Saudi Broadcasting Authority and Naimat