Qibla direction in Al Ain

How to face the Qibla in Al Ain

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 7.5° towards south: the result is the bearing of 262.5°. The direction is close to due west, 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 Al Ain, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Al Ain 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Al Ain to Mecca points to 259.3° (west), 3.2° away from the correct 262.5°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is not the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 262.5° is the direction in which the shortest route from 24.1917° N, 55.7606° 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 Al Ain to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,661 km from Al Ain as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,636 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 27 min, although most pilgrims from Al Ain connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Al Ain run 1 hour ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Al Ain rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Al Ain

On 214 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Al Ain while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 15 March 2027 it happens at 17:32 local time.

On 143 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 May (31 days), for instance on 15 April 2027 at 06:30.

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 Ain: at 13:18 and 13:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Al Ain compared with other cities

Compared with Abu Dhabi Island and Internal Islands City, 141 km away, the Qibla in Al Ain is turned 2.3° further clockwise (262.5° against 260.2°), and Mecca is 132 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Dubai City (109 km), prays towards 258.8°, a difference of 3.7°.

Among the 7 cities in the United Arab Emirates on this site, Al Ain has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 256.9° in Ras al-Khaimah. Across the country the direction varies by 5.6°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for United Arab Emirates.

Qibla in cities near Al Ain

• Dubai City258.8° · 109 km
• Jebel Ali258.8° · 112 km
• Fujairah259.7° · 118 km
• Sharjah city257.9° · 132 km
• Abu Dhabi Island and Internal Islands City260.2° · 141 km
• Ras al-Khaimah256.9° · 179 km