Qibla direction in Ābādān

How to face the Qibla in Ābādān

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 42.5° towards west: the result is the bearing of 222.5°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Ābādān.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Ābādān, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Ābādān is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Ābādān to Mecca points to 220.5°, only 2.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 222.5° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 222.5° is the direction in which the shortest route from 30.3392° N, 48.3043° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Ābādān to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,304 km from Ābādān as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,078 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Ābādān travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Ābādān run 0.5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Ābādān rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ābādān

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ābādān while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 15:10 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Ābādān during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Ābādān: at 12:48 and 12:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Ābādān compared with other cities

Compared with Tehran, 663 km away, the Qibla in Ābādān is turned 4.0° further clockwise (222.5° against 218.5°), and Mecca is 642 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Khorramshahr (16 km), prays towards 221.7°, a difference of 0.8°.

Across the 90 cities in Iran on this site, the Qibla ranges from 195.9° in Khoy to 257.6° in Iranshahr, a spread of 61.7°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Iran.

Qibla in cities near Ābādān

• Khorramshahr221.7° · 16 km
• Bandar-e Māhshahr224.8° · 88 km
• Ahvāz220.8° · 115 km
• Behbahān228.0° · 188 km
• Shūshtar219.3° · 197 km
• Masjed Soleymān221.1° · 201 km