Wender·Vista
Medina
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSaudi Arabia
in the Hejaz, north of Mecca

Medina

— — a city built around a green dome.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The second holiest city in Islam, and the place to which the Prophet emigrated in 622, the year the Islamic calendar begins. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi holds his tomb beneath a green dome that has been rebuilt and repainted across the centuries. Pilgrims pray beneath it before or after Hajj. The valley around the city has grown date palms for two thousand years. — from the studio

from the studio
Medina
— bring it home

Medina, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Medina

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Medina sits in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, about 340 kilometres north of Mecca and 150 kilometres inland from the Red Sea. The city holds roughly 1.5 million residents and rises to about 620 metres on a plain ringed by volcanic basalt fields, the harrat. It is the second-holiest city in Islam, marked by Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, which contains the tomb of Muhammad. Entry to the central haram area is reserved for Muslims. The surrounding valley has been cultivated for date palms for more than two millennia.

— the stone

The Prophet's Mosque has been continuously enlarged since the seventh century and now covers about 400,000 square metres, holding up to a million worshippers during Hajj. The green dome over the Prophet's tomb was first built in 1279 under the Mamluk sultan Qalawun, and painted its current colour by Ottoman sultan Mahmud II in 1837. The black basalt of the harrat fields north and south of the city was the source of stone in the original mosque walls of 622.

— the year

The city's calendar runs on two cycles. The Hijra, the Prophet's migration from Mecca in 622, marks year one of the Islamic lunar calendar, and every year is counted from that point. The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca falls in Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth month, and most pilgrims add a visit to Medina before or after. Ramadan brings a second wave each year; the mosque hosts Tarawih night prayers every evening through the month, with over a million attending the final ten nights.

— where
Saudi Arabia · Al Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia
— elevation
620 m · 2,034 ft
— position
24.4686° N · 39.6142° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km S
Quba Mosque
first mosque in Islam
5 km N
Mount Uhud
historic battlefield
at the lake
Al-Baqi Cemetery
historic cemetery
340 km S
Mecca
holiest city in Islam
420 km SW
Jeddah
port city
N
Medina
Quba Mosque
Mount Uhud
Al-Baqi Cemetery
Mecca
Jeddah
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Medina — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Medina is the second-holiest city in Islam, after Mecca. The Prophet Muhammad lived there from 622 until his death in 632, and his tomb lies inside Al-Masjid an-Nabawi.

The central haram area around the Prophet's Mosque is restricted to Muslims. The outer city, including the airport, the modern districts and hotels, is open to all visitors.

The green dome marks the chamber holding the Prophet's tomb inside Al-Masjid an-Nabawi. It was first built in 1279 and painted its current green by Ottoman sultan Mahmud II in 1837.

The Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. The journey, the Hijra, marks year one of the Islamic lunar calendar and the founding of the first Muslim community.

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi covers about 400,000 square metres after centuries of expansion and holds up to a million worshippers during Hajj. The current Saudi expansion began in the 1980s.

Ajwa is a small, dark date cultivated in the Medina valley and named in several hadiths of the Prophet. The palm groves around the city have produced dates for more than two thousand years.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Many of our Muslim customers give a tile of Medina to mark the completion of pilgrimage. A Small or Medium beside a prayer mat or in an entry alcove carries quietly.

The green dome, dawn light and warm desert palette pair with Islamic-modern, Levantine and warm-minimalist interiors. The piece reads well against limewash walls and dark wood.

Yes. Islamic-modern and warm-minimalist interiors are running soft greens, ochres and limewash plaster. A Medium of Medina anchors a quiet corner in that palette without ornament.

A single Large covers a sofa wall cleanly. A four-tile Mural reads better above a long console or sectional. A nine-tile Mural fills a stairwell or great room.

Yes. The Dura Satin and Matte finishes are scratch-resistant and made for showers, backsplashes and damp rooms. Glossy is reserved for framed wall pieces in dry spaces.

A microfibre cloth and a little water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and does not lift with normal cleaning. Avoid abrasive pads on the Glossy finish.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to Wender Studios. Reid Wender curates each place and the work is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing.

— if this one stayed with you

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