1,300-Year-Old Mosque Found in Saudi Arabia Mentions Prophet Muhammad
- Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission found a mosque wall inscription in Al-Baha mentioning Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
- The mosque dates back over 1,300 years and stands at the Al Maallamah site.
- The mosque also has a mihrab, entrances, a minaret, and signs of a nearby gold, silver and copper trade.
The Inscription on the Qibla Wall
Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission found a mosque at the Al Maallamah site in the Al-Baha region, carved with an inscription on its qibla wall that names Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The inscription reads: “The prayers of the righteous, the chosen, the best, be upon Muhammad, son of Abdullah, Ameen, Allah the Truth, Lord of the worlds.”
The find came during the fourth season of archaeological excavations at the site. The mosque dates back to the first century AH, making it more than 1,300 years old.
Mosque Design
The mosque stands in a residential area on the western side of the site and was built from dressed granite stones. It has a simple but precise design, with a mihrab, entrances and a minaret. It measures about 16 metres from north to south and 10 metres from east to west.
Rooms Around the Mosque
Stone rooms sit next to the mosque and appear to have been used for social and commercial purposes. These include storage areas, basins and supports built in local construction styles from that period.
Everyday Objects Found at the Site
Digs at Al Maallamah turned up fragments of soapstone and pottery vessels, along with grinding tools, pestles and parts of millstones used to process grain.
Signs of a Metal Trade
Evidence from the site points to the extraction and processing of gold, silver and copper ore. The Heritage Commission said this points to Al Maallamah growing into a trade hub for metal, linked to traders, craftsmen and workers during the Islamic period.
The commission said the mosque and the objects found around it add new evidence about religious, social and economic life in the region during the early Islamic era.
