Before the revelation of Islam, the two cities of Makkah and Madinah were civilisational centres and meeting points of different cultures and religions. With the revelation of Islam they became the focal points for the announcement of the last of the divine religions. Makkah was the birthplace of the Prophet and Madinah was the place to which he migrated. For fourteen centuries the two cities have maintained their very special position as centres of Islamic cultural and academic activity. Acknowledging the importance of studying the Islamic and historical heritage of the two cities, as well as the eminence and sacredness of this heritage to all Muslims, Al-Furqan Foundation took upon itself the responsibility of publishing a comprehensive reference work titled The Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah.
The Encyclopedia of Makkah and Madinah, which is compiled and published by the Centre for Compiling the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah, housed in Jeddah, is a far-reaching and ambitious project. Its main aim is to acknowledge the two cities’ scientific and cultural roles and to demonstrate their historical significance by highlighting their role in spreading knowledge to different geographical regions. The First Volume of the Encyclopedia was published in the year 2007.