Almost all of the historic city has been demolished in the Saudi era. The rebuilt city is centred on the vastly expanded "al-Masjid an-Nabawi". Saudi Arabia is hostile to any reverence given to historical or religious places of significance for fear that it may give rise to "shirk" (idolatry). As a consequence, under Saudi rule, Madinah has suffered from considerable destruction of its physical heritage including the loss of many buildings over a thousand years old. Critics have described this as "Saudi vandalism" and claim that 300 historic sites linked to Muhammad, his family or companions have been lost in Madinah and Makkah over the last 50 years. The most famous example of this is the demolition of al-Baqi. Madinah is located in the Hejaz region which is a 200 km (124 mi) wide strip between the Nafud desert and the Red Sea. Located approximately 720 km (447 mi) northwest of Riyadh which is at the center of the Saudi desert, the city is 250 km (155 mi) away from the west coast of Saudi Arabia and at an elevation of approximately above sea level. It lies at 39º36' longitude east and 24º28' latitude north. It covers an area of about . The city has been divided into twelve (12) districts, 7 of which have been categorised as urban districts, while the other 5 have been categorised as suburban. Like most cities in the Hejaz region, Madinah is situated at a very high elevation. Almost three times as high as Makkah, the city is situated at above sea level. Mount Uhud is the highest peak in Madinah and is 1,077 meters (3,533 feet) tall. Madinah is a desert oasis surrounded by the Hejaz mountains and volcanic hills. The soil surrounding Madinah consists of mostly basalt, while the hills, especially noticeable to the south of the city, are volcanic ash which dates to the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era. It is surrounded by a number of famous mountains, most notably "Jabal Al-Hujjaj" (The Pilgrims' Mountain) to the west, Sal'aa Mountain to the north-west, "Jabal al-'Ir" or Caravan Mountain to the south and Mount Uhud to the north. The city is situated on a flat mountain plateau at the tripoint of the three valleys (wadis) of "Wadi al 'Aql", "Wadi al 'Aqiq", and "Wadi al Himdh", for this reason, there are large green areas amidst a dry deserted mountainous region.