Madinah | 9 Safar 1447H, corresponding to 3 August 2025. Researcher and historian Dr. Fouad Al-Maghamsi reviewed the natural and urban features that shaped Madinah's defensive strength throughout history, during a symposium titled "Madinah's Fortifications Between Architecture and History," held as part of the cultural program accompanying Madinah Book Fair 2025, organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission at the conference center behind the King Salman International Exhibition Center.

Al-Maghamsi shed light on the natural geographic fortifications that distinguished the city, such as the surrounding volcanic mountains (harrat), singling out Mount Uhud, Sila' and Ayr, affirming that these geological formations formed a natural defensive shield for the city against invasions and unrest throughout the ages, alongside the "ahwisha" walled-courtyard housing system, an important element in Madinah's defensive urban planning.

He noted that the city's layout during the era of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was based on a round urban unit radiating "like a sun disc," an integrated structure that merged scattered villages such as Quba and Amr bin Awf into a single urban fabric, cementing the concept of a central city.

The symposium concluded with a rare visual presentation of a collection of historical photographs of Madinah from the early 14th century Hijri, showcasing its markets, forts and urban architectural style, highlighting the intertwining of geography with the city's spiritual and urban identity.