Qibla direction in Samarra

How to face the Qibla in Samarra

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 16.7° towards west: the result is the bearing of 196.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 17° off.

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 Samarra, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Samarra 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 Samarra to Mecca points to 195.7°, only 1.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 196.7° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 196.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.1959° N, 43.8857° 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 Samarra to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,475 km from Samarra as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,158 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Samarra travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Samarra 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 Samarra rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Samarra

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Samarra 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 13:10 local time.

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

Samarra compared with other cities

Compared with Baghdad, 106 km away, the Qibla in Samarra is turned 3.2° further anticlockwise (196.7° against 199.9°), and Mecca is 75 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Baqubah (83 km), prays towards 200.1°, a difference of 3.4°.

Across the 40 cities in Iraq on this site, the Qibla ranges from 190.9° in Duhok to 224.3° in Al Fāw, a spread of 33.4°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Iraq.

Qibla in cities near Samarra

• Baqubah200.1° · 83 km
• Bayjī194.3° · 89 km
• Fallujah197.4° · 95 km
• Al Miqdādīyah201.1° · 100 km
• Ramadi195.3° · 101 km
• Abu Ghraib199.1° · 103 km