Exquisite

beautiful.....

awesome thanks for sharing. Until these two holiest shrines of Islam were under the management of the Saud dynasty they were open to all irrespective of one's religious affiliation.Few Indian ascetics and holy men had been there too on pilgrimages including Guru Nanak.Now it is closed even to tourists

The picture on the right is definitely Mecca so, by inference, the picture on the left should be Medina. It also fits the description of Medina given by Ibn Batuta in the 14th century. The caption should therefore read "Medina and Mecca" and not the other way around. I agree with Digvijay that religious shrines should be open to all visitors regardless of their faith. So while I disapprove of the present policy of the Saudi Government not to allow non-Muslims in these places, I believe this practise did not start with them. Sir Richard Burton, the famous explorer and author of several well-known books described the Haj pilgrimage disguised as a Muslim in 1851. This restriction seems to be quite ancient and may have started when the Sang-e-Aswad was removed briefly from the Ka'aba. Ibn Batuta also mentions that, in Constantinople, he was not allowed to enter St Sophia's church because he was a Muslim. As for Guru Nanak, he was as much of a Muslim as he was a Hindu like a pious religious leader loved and respected by both communities.