Posted at Oct 11/2007 12:13PM:
Audrey von Maluski: Medina is the former city of Yathrib in the Hijaz of Arabia. Its name was changed to Madinat al-Nabi (the city of the prophet) because Muhammad led the first Muslims out of Mecca to Yathrib, and then spent much of his life there building up Islam. Muhammad is buried in Medina, in his home, which has become part of the Mosque of the Prophet, the first mosque.

Medina differs from medina in that medina is the Arabic for 'a city', while Medina refers to 'the city' (of the Prophet). This distinction is very important to keep in mind when dealing with historical texts to avoid confusion of locations.

Yathrib was historically a Jewish settlement prior to Muhammad's arrival. However, many inhabitants of the various Jewish tribes within the city embraced Islam when Muhammad arrived, and become known as the ansar, or the Patrons, a sort of second-wave of followers.

Posted at Oct 15/2007 03:14PM:
Ian: One question that we have posed in the course is whether Medina in fact developed as a city. Part of the answer hinges on the kinds of institutions developed by that earliest Muslim community. In what ways then might Medina become a model or at least a referant for those various early Islamic cities (medinas - or "mudun" in Arabic) that would come later. Keep in mind that these had many different backgrounds as resettled cities of late antiquity, the new amsar, and other new urban foundations such as the city of Ayla or Anjar.