At a glance
- Abu Dhabi Island and Internal Islands City, the capital: 260°, west, 1,529 km from the Kaaba.
- Dubai City, the largest city: 259°, west, 1,632 km from the Kaaba.
- The Qibla turns by 6° across the country, from 257° in Ras al-Khaimah to 262° in Al Ain.
- Closest to Makkah: Abu Dhabi Island and Internal Islands City, 1,529 km. Farthest: Fujairah, 1,735 km.
- Around Abu Dhabi Island and Internal Islands City, a magnetic compass points about 2° east of true north (World Magnetic Model 2025, for 2026). On a needle compass, the Qibla there is about 258°.
- Prayer times in United Arab Emirates: our country guide recommends the UAE General Authority method in the Awwab app.
Qibla from every city in United Arab Emirates
Cities of 100,000 people or more, largest first.
| City | Qibla | Direction | Distance to the Kaaba (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai City | 259° | west | 1,632 |
| Abu Dhabi Island and Internal Islands City | 260° | west | 1,529 |
| Sharjah city | 258° | west-south-west | 1,648 |
| Al Ain | 262° | west | 1,661 |
| Ajman | 258° | west-south-west | 1,656 |
| Ras al-Khaimah | 257° | west-south-west | 1,711 |
| Musaffah City | 261° | west | 1,536 |
| Jebel Ali | 259° | west | 1,611 |
| Fujairah | 260° | west | 1,735 |
| Warisan | 259° | west-south-west | 1,644 |
Not on the list? Search any town or use your location on the live compass.
Reading these numbers
Each bearing is measured clockwise from true north along the shortest path over the globe, a great circle, which is how the Qibla is worked out. A flat map can mislead, because the Earth is round.
Phone compasses work best after calibrating with a figure-8, away from metal and magnetic cases. Our guide to finding the Qibla also covers the sun, the local mosque and praying when unsure.
Qibla in other countries
Bangladesh China India Indonesia Iran Japan Myanmar (Burma) Pakistan Philippines Thailand Türkiye Vietnam
City data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic declination: the World Magnetic Model 2025 (NOAA and the British Geological Survey).