Claim: Medina became the first capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire.

Medina -LRB- -LSB- məˈdiːnə -RSB- المدينة المنورة , , `` the radiant city '' ; or المدينة , -LRB- -LSB- almaˈdiːna -RSB- -RRB- , `` the city '' -RRB- , also transliterated as Madīnah , is a city in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia that is also the capital of the Al Madinah Region . The city contains al-Masjid an-Nabawi -LRB- `` the Prophet 's Mosque '' -RRB- , which is the burial place of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , and is the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca .   Medina was Muhammad 's destination after his Hijrah from Mecca , and became the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire , first under Muhammad 's leadership , and then under Ali . It served as the power base of Islam in its first century where the early Muslim community developed . Medina is home to the three oldest mosques , namely the Quba Mosque , al-Masjid an-Nabawi , and Masjid al-Qiblatayn -LRB- `` the mosque of the two qiblas '' -RRB- . Muslims believe that the chronologically final surahs of the Quran were revealed to Muhammad in Medina , and are called Medinan surahs in contrast to the earlier Meccan surahs .   Just like Mecca , the city is closed to anyone who is considered a non-Muslim , including members of the Ahmadiyya movement -LRB- however , not the entire city is closed -RRB- by the national government .