Qibla direction in Dayr az Zawr

How to face the Qibla in Dayr az Zawr

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 1.2° towards west: the result is the bearing of 181.2°. The direction is close to due south, which makes it easy to remember.

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 Dayr az Zawr, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Dayr az Zawr 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 Dayr az Zawr to Mecca points to 181.1°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 181.2° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 181.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 35.3359° N, 40.1408° 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 Dayr az Zawr to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,547 km from Dayr az Zawr as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,210 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 19 min, although most pilgrims from Dayr az Zawr connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Dayr az Zawr 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 Dayr az Zawr rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Dayr az Zawr

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Dayr az Zawr 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 12:27 local time.

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

Dayr az Zawr compared with other cities

Compared with Damascus, 407 km away, the Qibla in Dayr az Zawr is turned 16.6° further clockwise (181.2° against 164.6°), and Mecca is 159 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Raqqa (123 km), prays towards 177.0°, a difference of 4.3°.

Across the 12 cities in Syria on this site, the Qibla ranges from 164.6° in Tartus to 184.8° in Al-Qamishli, a spread of 20.3°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Syria.

Qibla in cities near Dayr az Zawr

• Raqqa177.0° · 123 km
• Al-Hasakah183.3° · 141 km
• Al-Qamishli184.8° · 214 km
• Al Bāb171.7° · 263 km
• Aleppo170.3° · 286 km
• Hama168.1° · 308 km