Qibla direction in Salt

How to face the Qibla in Salt

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 20.0° towards east: the result is the bearing of 160.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 20° 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 Salt, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Salt is a handy reference, because the 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 Salt to Mecca points to 161.0°, only 1.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 160.0° bearing remains the exact one.

How is the figure of 160.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Salt (32.0392° N, 35.7272° 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 Salt to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,248 km from Salt as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 924 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Salt travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Salt 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 Salt rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Salt

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Salt 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 11:27 local time.

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

Salt compared with other cities

Compared with Amman, 23 km away, the Qibla in Salt is turned 0.9° further anticlockwise (160.0° against 160.9°), and Mecca is 16 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Amman (23 km), prays towards 160.9°, a difference of 0.9°.

Among the 5 cities in Jordan on this site, Salt has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 161.7° in Zarqa. Across the country the direction varies by 1.7°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Jordan.

Qibla in cities near Salt

• Amman160.9° · 23 km
• Ajloun160.6° · 33 km
• Zarqa161.7° · 34 km
• Irbid161.4° · 59 km