1880 Saudi Arabia, Medina, Prophet's Mosque
A rare photograph, considered one of the first photographs to come to us from Medina, was taken by Brigadier General Muhammad Sadiq Bey, who captured the first photographs of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
This raises the question?
Why did the first photographs of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina appear years later than the first photographs ever taken in the world? As we know, the first photograph in the world was taken in 1826 CE. Photography developed further in 1839, and photographs were taken of many countries, including Egypt and others. However, photographs of the Two Holy Mosques did not appear until 1880 ?
I believe the reason for this is that the early photographers were foreigners, Europeans and others, and not Muslims. As we all know, entry to the Two Holy Mosques was forbidden to non-Muslims. It was only then that the Egyptian Muslim photographer, Muhammad Sadiq Bey, arrived with his camera and took the first photographs of Mecca and Medina.
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Free for commercial use Attribution required- Details
- Year Taken 1880
- Country Saudi Arabia
- Photo #1228
- Published on Feb 12, 2026
- Photo type JPG
- Resolution 2070x2598
- Photographer Muhammad Sadiq Bey
- Category Archaeological and...
- File size 676.5kB