Qibla direction in Şabyā

How to face the Qibla in Şabyā

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 31.3° towards west: the result is the bearing of 328.7°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Şabyā.

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 Şabyā, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Şabyā 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 Şabyā to Mecca points to 328.3°, only 0.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 328.7° bearing remains the exact one.

How is the figure of 328.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Şabyā (17.1495° N, 42.6254° 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 Şabyā to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 559 km from Şabyā as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 872 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Şabyā travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Şabyā 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 Şabyā rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Şabyā

On 88 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Şabyā while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in July (31 days); for example, on 15 May 2027 it happens at 12:10 local time.

On 277 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 10:36.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Şabyā: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Şabyā compared with other cities

Compared with Riyadh, 940 km away, the Qibla in Şabyā is turned 84.6° further clockwise (328.7° against 244.2°), and Mecca is 235 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Jizan (30 km), prays towards 330.8°, a difference of 2.1°.

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 Şabyā

• Jizan330.8° · 30 km
• Abhā322.3° · 119 km
• Khamis Mushait319.3° · 128 km
• Najran314.8° · 164 km
• Sabt Al Alaya313.0° · 279 km
• Bisha299.2° · 317 km