Qibla direction in Sanaa

How to face the Qibla in Sanaa

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 33.7° towards west: the result is the bearing of 326.3°. 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 Sanaa.

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 Sanaa, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Sanaa 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 Sanaa to Mecca points to 325.6°, only 0.7° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 326.3° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 326.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 15.3545° N, 44.2065° 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 Sanaa to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 818 km from Sanaa as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,121 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Sanaa travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Sanaa 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 Sanaa rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Sanaa

On 100 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Sanaa 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 12:09 local time.

On 264 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 10:24.

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

Sanaa compared with other cities

The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Dhamar (93 km), prays towards 328.3°, a difference of 2.1°.

Across the 7 cities in Yemen on this site, the Qibla ranges from 309.2° in Mukalla to 336.3° in Al Hudaydah, a spread of 27.1°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Yemen.

Qibla in cities near Sanaa

• Dhamar328.3° · 93 km
• Al Hudaydah336.3° · 148 km
• Ibb331.5° · 154 km
• Taiz333.6° · 198 km
• Aden330.8° · 300 km
• Mukalla309.2° · 536 km