…the dark green area in the south, outlines the King Abdullah Park. This occupies a huge tract of the lava hill that has been a favourite place, even since the time of Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to retreat to from the heat of the actual city of Madinah. Some say that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq had a house here, and Allah Ta’ala knows best.

The fresh wispy breeze is invigorating. And while the establishment of greenery is still in its infancy, Insha’Allah as it matures will provide an even more temperate retreat. It is opened for families only, meaning no single youth, men, supposedly. Security guards sit at the entrance but who is to say if the men and women that enter are related. Signs state that there is to be no sheesha, the water pipe and no smoking.  I am not sure how these concerns are checked. Maybe the ‘Commission’ is secretly deployed to carry out their routine checks for ‘vice’.  

The hours are from eight in the morning till midnight during the week while Thursday and Friday from after Asr until 2am. There is a Masjid within the walled area with ablution blocks scattered far and few between.

Apart from this day trip we also visited during the evening to find it very gloomy with minimal lighting. Not only making it feel somewhat scary but also dangerous given the rugged nature of the landscape. Maybe the maintaining of privacy for the individual families secluded in these confined areas is the reason for the lack of lighting. Volcanic boulders and abrasive rubble dominate the areas between the picnic structures dotted all over the park. The playground features for children are basic and scant in number with a rough scoria surface underneath the equipment. Not what I consider the most conducive for children playing. There are no places to ride bicycles, being the favoured activity in open spaces, or to run freely given the nature of the ground. Most families seem to passively sit in the areas shown. There are small pits within each of these for fires to be lit. I imagine people need to bring their own charcoal which is readily available throughout the city, not only for picnickers, but for households that still cook with this. Unlike outings in the desert where dry wood is obtained from the gnarled trees, there is no such supply in the park.

Adjoining the park is a horse track, but it does not seem to be open as yet. And whether it is for recreational use or for racing is unsure. 
 

Several traditional pigeon houses are incorporated in the design of the mud rendered fence enclosing the entire park, as well as framing the entrance. Pigeons were cavorting around these towers.

Villas line the outside of the fence.

Masjid Quba is seen in the distance from the gentle rise of the park.

The orange area is a continuation of this huge expanse of volcanic tract currently being offered for sale. With the opening of the Aliat al-Madinah complex real estate nearby is booming along with many having to relocate from the inner precincts of this Radiant City to the outskirts.

This is one of the dozens of real estate ‘offices’ that line the recently asphalted surface of this road, with the desolate volcanic land for sale on either side.

Jabal Eyr, corresponding to Babul Jahannam, lies outside the sanctuary of Madinah is in the hazy distance. Several new villas at various stages of construction can vaguely be seen silhouetted near the foot of this mountain.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen. 

From a recent article… ‘we are confident that we will gain the trust of investors to turn Madinah into an international knowledge-based center where you can find international expertise in all fields of knowledge, technology and communication…. KEC is the first of its kind knowledge-based city in the Kingdom. It is part of the government’s plan to ‘rationalize’ capitals and attract investment in various projects throughout the Kingdom.’

While the real estate developer explains the objectives of the project:

Create a knowledge based cluster that will support the economic development of the city

Provide a state of the art infrastructure that will attract local and international IT companies to invest in the project

Attract local and international universities and Islamic institutions and scholars to work and do research in the project

Provide a wide range of services (Schools, medical facilities, green space for the tenants of the project and the Madinah as a whole)

The following images (scroll down a bit) give an impression of the scale of the project and the futuristic theme. More Kingdom wide projects here, scroll to Madinah.

This is a SR300 million plus Mega Mall sprawling over an area of more than 140,000 square meters. The completed project is designed to house 400 showrooms, hypermarkets, integrated amusement, an ice-skating rink, fountains, and large food courts. The facility will also house hotel suites targeting visitors to the holy city, being located only five minutes from Masjid Nabawi and ten minutes from the airport.    

So strategically placed around the second ring road are these five massive complexes, along with KEC, and only Allah Ta’ala knows if there are to be more. And to think, that according to the Hadith, there will be three earth tremors towards the end of the times in Madinah and yet we build as though this time is mortal. Ya Rabb.

Next post, Insha’Allah, continuing with the two other areas to the south marked on the google map.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.