Finding the Qibla by the Sun: What Is the Qibla Hour?

One of the oldest and most reliable methods of qibla determination is the sun. Twice a year the sun stands directly above the Kaaba; at that moment, anyone on the sunlit side of the Earth who faces the sun is facing the qibla.

The qibla hour days

The sun crosses directly over the Kaaba on May 27-28 at 12:18 Mecca time (09:18 UTC) and on July 15-16 at 12:27 (09:27 UTC). These moments are called the qibla hour. Convert to your time zone: in Tashkent (UTC+5), for example, that is 14:18 and 14:27.

How to apply it

At the qibla hour, look at the sun: its direction is the qibla. A more precise variant is the shadow method: plant a straight stick vertically on flat ground; at the qibla hour its shadow points exactly opposite the qibla. Mark the shadow line and you have a permanent qibla reference for your home.

Why is it so reliable?

This method involves no compass, magnet or sensor; it is immune to magnetic declination and calibration errors. We recommend testing your phone compass against it twice a year. On all other days, our live compass and map view are at your service.