Madinah Ajwa dates
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Madinah Ajwa: where it grows, how it looks, and its season
Ajwa is grown in the Madinah region, in the west of Saudi Arabia. A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black. It reaches khalal in the second half of June and becomes tamr in August.
The Madinah region has about 4.5 million date palms producing 70 varieties of dates, 800,000 of them Ajwa palms. Saudipedia names two kinds of Ajwa: Ajwat Abi Dhira', a large fruit, and al-Mudardama, a small one.
Visitors to the Prophet's Mosque buy it as a gift, and demand for it rises in the religious seasons, such as Ramadan and the Hajj.
Khalal and tamr are stages of the same fruit; they are explained one by one in Types of Saudi dates. How Ajwa differs from Sukkari, Khalas and Medjool is in Sukkari vs Ajwa, Khalas and Medjool.
Sources: Saudipedia
Ajwa date prices today
The Aljoud Premium Dates shop’s prices on : Madinah Ajwa in its grades and sizes. The last column is the price per kilo of each size: its price divided by its weight.
| Product | Grade | Size | Price | Per kilo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madinah Ajwa Premium | Premium | 1 kg | SAR 65 | SAR 65 |
| Madinah Ajwa Premium, in a box | Premium | A 537 g box | SAR 35 | SAR 65.18 |
| Madinah Ajwa Royal | Royal | 1 kg | SAR 85 | SAR 85 |
| 2 kg (carton) | SAR 170 | SAR 85 | ||
| Madinah Ajwa Rare | Rare | 1 kg | SAR 170 | SAR 170 |
- Rare: The largest and rarest fruit. A very limited quantity, by early order.
You will also find Ajwa in the gift boxes:
- Aljoud Gifting Box: Ajwa and Sukkari Royal, for someone you love — SAR 120
- Aljoud Fine Dates Box: Royal Mufattal, Galaxy and Ajwa in three boxes — SAR 250
Inside Jeddah it is SAR 30, and free for orders from SAR 299. It reaches you on the day you confirm your order, chilled, from our stores in Jeddah. Outside Jeddah we ship to every city in the Kingdom, the Gulf and the world: you choose the shipping company and see its price and time on our Zid store before you pay.
How to keep dates once they arrive is in How to store dates.
The weight of an Ajwa date, its carbohydrates and glycaemic index
In a 2022 study of the date palm cultivars of Madinah, an Ajwa date weighed 9.75 g on average with its stone: 8.76 g of flesh and 0.99 g of stone. The study weighed ten fruits from each palm.
In a Qassim University study of 17 Saudi date varieties at the tamr stage, published in the Annals of Saudi Medicine in 2016, carbohydrates made up 71.29% of Ajwa's weight, and its glycaemic index was 55.9, measured on ten people. The Ajwa samples were taken from Madinah, and the other varieties from Qassim.
We give the figures as the two studies published them; they are not medical advice.
Sources: A study of Madinah's date palm cultivars, BMC Plant Biology 2022, Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016
Ajwa of al-'Aliya: what the name refers to
Al-'Aliya, also called al-Awali, is a district of Madinah; historically the name covers the east and south-east of the city. It had palm farms and orchards, and Ajwa is tied to it, hence “Ajwa of al-'Aliya” and “Ajwa of Aliyat al-Madinah”. Today buildings cover most of the land where the orchards and palm farms once were.
The phrase “Ajwa of al-'Aliya” appears in a hadith narrated by Muslim, number 2048.
We sell our Ajwa as “Madinah Ajwa” and name no particular orchard for it, so we do not say it comes from al-'Aliya.
Sources: Okaz newspaper, Sahih Muslim 2048
Madinah Ajwa in the hadith
Ajwa is named in the Sahih collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Here is the hadith in al-Bukhari's wording, with its reference:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
“He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.”
مَنْ تَصَبَّحَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعَ تَمَرَاتٍ عَجْوَةً لَمْ يَضُرُّهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ سُمٌّ وَلاَ سِحْرٌ
We quote it word for word with its reference, without commentary, and make no promise of it for any product.
Questions people ask
What is Madinah Ajwa?
A date variety grown in the Madinah region. A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black. It reaches khalal in the second half of June and becomes tamr in August.
How much are Ajwa dates?
As of 31 October 2026, at Aljoud Premium Dates: Madinah Ajwa Premium SAR 65 (1 kg), Madinah Ajwa Premium, in a box SAR 35 (A 537 g box), Madinah Ajwa Royal SAR 85 (1 kg), Madinah Ajwa Royal SAR 170 (2 kg (carton)) and Madinah Ajwa Rare SAR 170 (1 kg). In the gift boxes: Aljoud Gifting Box SAR 120 and Aljoud Fine Dates Box SAR 250.
What does genuine Madinah Ajwa look like?
Saudipedia describes it as grown in the Madinah region: A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black. It names two kinds by size: the large Ajwat Abi Dhira' and the small al-Mudardama.
What is Ajwa of al-'Aliya?
Al-'Aliya, also called al-Awali, is a district of Madinah; historically the name covers the east and south-east of the city, where there were palm farms and orchards tied to Ajwa. The phrase “Ajwa of al-'Aliya” appears in a hadith narrated by Muslim, number 2048. We name no particular orchard for our Ajwa, so we do not say it comes from al-'Aliya.
What hadith is narrated about Madinah Ajwa?
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: “He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5445, also Sahih Muslim 2047 · translation: sunnah.com)
How much does one Ajwa date weigh?
9.75 g on average with its stone, of which 8.76 g is flesh and 0.99 g stone, in a 2022 study of the date palm cultivars of Madinah.
What is the glycaemic index of Ajwa dates?
55.9 in the Qassim University study published in the Annals of Saudi Medicine in 2016, measured on ten people with Ajwa from Madinah at the tamr stage. It is one study's figure, not medical advice.
What is the difference between Ajwa and Sukkari?
Ajwa is from Madinah, Sukkari from Qassim. Ajwa: A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black. Sukkari: Oblong oval. Yellow as busr, yellowish brown as rutab, brown as tamr.
How much is delivery, and when does it arrive?
Inside Jeddah it is SAR 30, and free for orders from SAR 299. It reaches you on the day you confirm your order, chilled, from our stores in Jeddah. Outside Jeddah we ship to every city in the Kingdom, the Gulf and the world: you choose the shipping company and see its price and time on our Zid store before you pay.
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