The Mosque of Al-Ghamamah is among the oldest mosques in Medina, situated about 500 metres west of the Prophet's Mosque on the historic open prayer ground (Musalla). Tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad offered the Eid prayer here in his later years and the rain-prayer (salat al-istisqa) during a drought; the name 'Ghamamah' (cloud) recalls the clouds said to have shaded the gathering. Some narrations also place here the absentee funeral prayer for the Negus (Najashi) of Abyssinia. The first structure was built under the Umayyad caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (705-712 CE) and was renovated across the Mamluk, Ottoman (Sultan Abdulmecid, 1859) and Saudi periods. The Eid and rain-prayer associations rest on tradition, while the standing building is of Umayyad-Ottoman origin. It is the best-documented of the historic mosques around the Prophet's Mosque.
Visiting Etiquette
The mosque is an active place of worship; voluntary prayers may be offered. Modest dress, quiet conduct and entering in a state of ablution are expected. Avoid excessive veneration of the site or practices that may be considered innovations (bid'ah).