Qibla · Riyadh Region
Qibla direction in Al Kharj
To face the Kaaba in Al Kharj, turn to 249.9° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (20.1° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 827 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Al Kharj should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 249.9°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 250°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Al Kharj
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 20.1° towards south: the result is the bearing of 249.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 20° off.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. The simplest check in Al Kharj is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Al Kharj. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Al Kharj to Mecca points to 248.5°, only 1.5° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 249.9° bearing remains the exact one.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 24.1554° N, 47.3346° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Al Kharj to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 827 km from Al Kharj as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 783 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Al Kharj travel to the Hijaz by road.
Clocks in Al Kharj 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 Kharj rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Al Kharj
On 279 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Al Kharj while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 15 February 2027 it happens at 16:45 local time.
On 62 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 June (30 days), for instance on 1 June 2027 at 05:50.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 16:45 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 16:07 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 15:27 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 14:37 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 13:57 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 13:14 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:42 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:12 | 05:50 |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:01 | 06:07 |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:07 | 06:09 |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:26 | 05:54 |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:59 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 13:30 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 14:08 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 14:39 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 15:15 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 15:47 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 16:29 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
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 Kharj: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Al Kharj compared with other cities
Compared with Riyadh, 86 km away, the Qibla in Al Kharj is turned 5.8° further clockwise (249.9° against 244.2°), and Mecca is 34 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Riyadh (86 km), prays towards 244.2°, a difference of 5.8°.
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 Al Kharj
Qibla in Al Kharj: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Al Kharj?
It is 249.9° from true north, which is west: 20.1° south of west.
How far is Al Kharj from Mecca?
827 km in a straight line over the globe, and 783 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Al Kharj?
On 279 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Saudi Arabia?
No. It ranges from 96.4° to 330.8° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 249.9° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.