Mecca: the Prophet (peace be upon him)'s time
More than fourteen centuries ago, in the mountain city of Mecca, the story of Islam began. Here revelation came down for the first time, and from here a great journey started.
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The first revelation in the cave of Hira
In the little cave of Hira on a mountain near Mecca, revelation began to come to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
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A journey to a just king
Some of the Prophet (peace be upon him)'s companions sailed in small ships to a just king who welcomed them with kindness.
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The great journey to Medina
The Prophet and his companions made the long journey from Mecca to Medina — and the Hijri calendar counts from that year.
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Raising the Kaaba
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his son Ismail (peace be upon him) raised the Kaaba's foundations together, stone upon stone.
Medina
After the long journey from Mecca, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions settled in Medina. Here the first mosque was built, and here the Muslims found a city to love.
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Building the Prophet (peace be upon him)'s Mosque
The Prophet bought a small plot of land, and he and his companions built it into a mosque of mudbrick and stone.
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The stop at Quba
On the way to Medina the Prophet (peace be upon him) stopped at Quba and founded a lovely little mosque there.
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The first Friday prayer
Friday prayer caught up with them on the road, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed with a hundred men in a little valley mosque.
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The Mosque of the Two Qiblas
In this little mosque the worshippers turned around during prayer to face the Kaaba.
Abbasid Baghdad
On the banks of the Tigris rose a round city called the City of Peace. Baghdad became the capital of learning, where scholars and books arrived from everywhere.
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The new City of Peace
The caliph al-Mansur built a brand-new round city on the river and called it the City of Peace: Baghdad.
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The House of Wisdom
In the House of Wisdom, scholars gathered books from many lands and translated them into Arabic.
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A great school in Baghdad
A great school was built in Baghdad where students learned all kinds of sciences.
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The scholar of numbers
Al-Khwarizmi was a scholar who loved numbers and stars, and taught people new ways of counting.
Cordoba and al-Andalus
In faraway al-Andalus a beautiful civilization shone. In Cordoba stood a mosque of a thousand columns and a royal library, and in Granada the enchanting Alhambra.
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The forest of columns in Cordoba
Cordoba's mosque holds a forest of columns: about a thousand pillars carrying a decorated ceiling.
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The king's library
In Cordoba's palace stood a royal library that gathered books from every land in the world.
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Cordoba's singer
Ziryab was a singer who came from Baghdad to Cordoba and taught its people new arts of music.
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The Alhambra
The Alhambra in Granada, with its elegant palaces and beautiful carvings.
Ottoman Istanbul
A city on the sea between two continents, it took the name Istanbul about six centuries ago. It filled with beautiful mosques of lofty domes and became a great capital.
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A new name for the city
About six centuries ago the city got a new name — Istanbul — and a new chapter of its story began.
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The ancient building
Hagia Sophia is a very old building in Istanbul, built more than fourteen centuries ago.
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Eyüp Sultan Mosque
Eyüp Sultan Mosque is an old mosque in Istanbul, built more than five centuries ago.
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The New Mosque
The New Mosque is a big Istanbul mosque from the Ottoman age.