Sela, Sacred mountain in Medina, Saudi Arabia

Jabal Sela is a dark basalt ridge running north to south about 500 metres west of the Prophet's Mosque, roughly 1,000 metres long, 80 metres high and 300 to 800 metres wide. Short spurs branch east and west from its middle, and the rock looks sliced into several pieces, which is what the name Sela means.

The mountain played a strategic role during an early military confrontation when a key religious leader used it as an observation post. This was a turning point in events that would shape the region.

The mountain is surrounded by several mosques that mark important moments in early Islamic history. Visitors can see these sacred sites and feel the spiritual importance of the location.

Sela rises about 500 metres west of the Prophet's Mosque and runs roughly 1,000 metres north to south, so the western foot is the usual approach. The ground is dark basalt and uneven; the climb is short but rocky. The western slope holds the area known as the Seven Mosques, actually six, rebuilt in part as the large Masjid al-Khandaq.

Al-Hamdani, writing about 150 years after Muhammad, counted Sela within Medina. A stone at the summit carries the names of Muhammad, Umar and Ali, a detail visitors often miss.