Qibla direction in Hafar Al-Batin

How to face the Qibla in Hafar Al-Batin

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 39.8° towards west: the result is the bearing of 219.8°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Hafar Al-Batin.

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 Hafar Al-Batin, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Hafar Al-Batin 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 Hafar Al-Batin to Mecca points to 218.5°, only 1.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 219.8° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 219.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 28.4328° N, 45.9708° 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 Hafar Al-Batin to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 995 km from Hafar Al-Batin as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 771 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Hafar Al-Batin travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Hafar Al-Batin 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 Hafar Al-Batin rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Hafar Al-Batin

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Hafar Al-Batin 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 14:33 local time.

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

Hafar Al-Batin compared with other cities

Compared with Riyadh, 423 km away, the Qibla in Hafar Al-Batin is turned 24.3° further anticlockwise (219.8° against 244.2°), and Mecca is 202 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Az Zulfī (263 km), prays towards 224.1°, a difference of 4.3°.

Across the 27 cities in Saudi Arabia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 96.4° in Jeddah to 330.8° in Jizan, a spread of 234.5°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Saudi Arabia.

Qibla in cities near Hafar Al-Batin

• Az Zulfī224.1° · 263 km
• Buraidah218.6° · 306 km
• Unaizah220.1° · 324 km
• Jubail240.0° · 392 km
• Riyadh244.2° · 423 km
• Ha'il195.9° · 432 km