Al-Baqi', Islamic cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia

Al-Baqi is an Islamic cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia, holding thousands of graves marked only by small piles of stones without any inscriptions. The grounds are open and treeless, with low walls along the edges and several entrance gates for visitors.

The cemetery was established in 622 CE when Prophet Muhammad chose this land as a burial site. Structures built over the graves across centuries were removed during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The name al-Baqi means "the field" and refers to the boxthorn-covered ground Muhammad chose as Medina's first Muslim cemetery. Visitors come to greet the dead with the salutation the Prophet taught Aisha: "Peace be upon the people of these dwellings, the believers and Muslims." The cemetery is also called Kafta, from the Quranic phrase "Have We not made the earth a gathering place."

The grounds are open only during specific hours in daylight, with men and women entering according to set time windows. Visitors should check current access times before arriving.

As'ad ibn Zurarah was the first person buried here shortly after the site was chosen. Most graves carry no names or markers, so the exact locations of many historical figures remain unknown.