Rashdul Qibla — Find the Qibla by the Sun
Twice a year the sun passes directly over Mecca. At that moment, facing the sun is facing the Kaaba, and the shadow of an upright object points exactly away from the qibla. No compass, no magnetic declination.
The exact moment in your city
| City | May 28 | July 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Almaty | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Astana | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Shymkent | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Karaganda | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Aktobe | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Taraz | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Pavlodar | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Oskemen | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Semey | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Atyrau | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Kyzylorda | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Aktau | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Turkistan | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Toshkent | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Samarqand | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
| Buxoro | 14:17 sun is above the horizon | 14:26 sun is above the horizon |
Local time
How to do it
Choose genuinely level ground. Stand an object upright — a stick, a pipe or a hanging plumb line — and make sure it is truly vertical; that is the most common source of error. Set your clock to official time: five minutes off means more than one degree of error. At the exact moment, mark the line of the shadow. That line points AWAY from the qibla; the qibla runs from the tip of the shadow back to the base of the object.