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Wadi al-Qura

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wadi al-Qura (Arabic: وادي القرى, lit.'Valley of Villages') is a wadi north of Medina in Saudi Arabia,[1] mentioned in early Islamic sources. It was located on the main trade road between the Hejaz and Syria.

The wadi is tentatively identified with the modern Wadi al-'Ula region. The meaning of the name, "Valley of Villages", suggests the area contained several villages. The 10th-century geographer Istakhri noted it was one of the most populous and agriculturally productive areas of Arabia. The 9th-century historian Ibn al-Kalbi described it as highly fertile and dotted with villages throughout.[2]

The wadi is referenced in many early Islamic texts. Several military expeditions took place there during the time of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. These include:

Recent discoveries of Geonic responsa have shown that there was a Jewish presence in Wadi al-Qura as late as the 11th century CE, and that they maintained correspondence with Rabbi Sherira Gaon and Rabbi Hai Gaon.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wensinck, AJ, "Kaynuka, banu", Encyclopaedia of Islam.
  2. ^ Power, Timothy (2012). The Red Sea from Byzantium to the Caliphate: AD 500–1000. I.B.Tauris. p. 115.
  3. ^ Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 206. (online)
  4. ^ Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 211. (online)
  5. ^ William Muir, The Life of Mahomet (2003), p. 394.
  6. ^ Mazuz, Haggai (2014). The Religious and Spiritual Life of the Jews of Medina. Koninklijke Brill. p. 100. ISBN 9789004266094. Retrieved 2016-06-22.