Qibla direction in Asmara

How to face the Qibla in Asmara

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 7.8° towards east: the result is the bearing of 7.8°. The direction is close to due north, which makes it easy to remember.

Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. The simplest check in Asmara is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Asmara. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Asmara to Mecca points to 7.9°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 7.8° bearing remains the exact one.

The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 15.3381° N, 38.9318° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.

Distance from Asmara to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 683 km from Asmara as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,018 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Asmara travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Asmara run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Asmara rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Asmara

On 101 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Asmara while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in July (31 days); for example, on 15 May 2027 it happens at 12:19 local time.

On 263 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 January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 12:49.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Asmara: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Asmara compared with other cities

See all cities on the Qibla page for Eritrea.