Qibla direction in Al Fāw

How to face the Qibla in Al Fāw

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 44.3° towards west: the result is the bearing of 224.3°. 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 Al Fāw.

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 Al Fāw, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Al Fāw to Mecca points to 222.3° (south-west), 2.0° away from the correct 224.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is not the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 224.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 29.9742° N, 48.4731° 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 Al Fāw to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,285 km from Al Fāw as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,068 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Al Fāw travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Al Fāw 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 Al Fāw rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Al Fāw

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Al Fāw 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 14:49 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Al Fāw 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 Al Fāw: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Al Fāw compared with other cities

Compared with Baghdad, 537 km away, the Qibla in Al Fāw is turned 24.4° further clockwise (224.3° against 199.9°), and Mecca is 114 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Umm Qaşr (54 km), prays towards 222.1°, a difference of 2.2°.

Among the 40 cities in Iraq on this site, Al Fāw has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 190.9° in Duhok. Across the country the direction varies by 33.4°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Iraq.

Qibla in cities near Al Fāw

• Umm Qaşr222.1° · 54 km
• Basra220.0° · 89 km
• Al Qurnah217.2° · 153 km
• Al Madīnah216.7° · 159 km
• Amarah213.9° · 243 km
• Nasiriyah212.4° · 244 km