Structural changes in the settlement geography of Medina

Medina, the first capital of Islam, is one of the most well-known cities of the Muslim World. The settlement geography of Medina depends on various historical factors including both economic and political. The common understanding of Medina is that it was a city by the name of Yathrib, which was changed by the Prophet(s) to Medina, and that it survived during centuries and developed continuously till the contemporary periods, like other cities. On the one hand, nowadays, some of the preceding settlements of this region remain unpopulated, and from the other hand some structures have been built in some areas which were not residential before that. This paper tries to answer this question of fundamental transformation has confronted the settlement geography of this region during the following eras: the ancient Yathrib, before Islam, the beginning of Islam, Middle Ages, modern, and contemporary periods.