Qibla · Aswan Governorate
Qibla direction in Aswān
To face the Kaaba in Aswān, turn to 111.3° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (21.3° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 770 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Aswān should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 111.3°, the Qibla of Aswān. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 111° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Aswān
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 21.3° towards south: the result is the bearing of 111.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 21° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Aswān, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Aswān to Mecca points to 112.7°, only 1.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 111.3° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 111.3° obtained? From the coordinates of Aswān (24.0908° N, 32.8994° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Aswān to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 770 km from Aswān as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 682 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Aswān travel to the Hijaz by road.
Clocks in Aswān run 1 hour behind Mecca in winter and the same time as Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Aswān rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Aswān
On 288 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Aswān while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 February 2027 it happens at 06:57 local time.
On 57 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in June (30 days), for instance on 1 June 2027 at 18:57.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | 06:57 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 07:31 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 08:05 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 08:38 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:16 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:48 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 11:54 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:25 | 18:57 |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:40 | 18:47 |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:42 | 18:53 |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:28 | 19:11 |
| 1 August 2027 | 11:57 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 10:38 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:59 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 09:13 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 08:34 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 06:49 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Aswān: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Aswān compared with other cities
Compared with Cairo, 684 km away, the Qibla in Aswān is turned 24.9° further anticlockwise (111.3° against 136.2°), and Mecca is 518 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Kom Ombo (43 km), prays towards 114.4°, a difference of 3.1°.
Among the 55 cities in Egypt on this site, Aswān has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 149.5° in Arish. Across the country the direction varies by 38.2°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Egypt.
Qibla in cities near Aswān
Qibla in Aswān: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Aswān?
It is 111.3° from true north, which is east: 21.3° south of east.
How far is Aswān from Mecca?
770 km in a straight line over the globe, and 682 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Aswān?
On 288 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Egypt?
No. It ranges from 111.3° to 149.5° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 111.3° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.