Qibla

Qibla

Qiblah (قبلة, also transliterated as Kiblah) is an Arabic word for the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during Salah. Most mosques contain a niche in a wall that indicates the qiblah.

First Qibla;Unlike the biography stories that are composed of traditional rumor compilations, based on text and archaeological research, en:Patricia Crone and Michael Cook hypothesized that the "Masjid al-Haram" was not located in Mecca, but in the north-west Arabian Peninsula.

Canadian archeology and Islamic history researcher Dan Gibson discovered that the oldest mosque, palace and cemetery positionings point to Petra. He found that it was the place where Muhammad and the first Muslims lived, and that the first direction of qibla for the Muslims was facing Petra.

Lower Petra.

Qibla Media

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  A pilgrim makes a supplication in the direction of the Kaaba, the Muslim qibla, in the Sacred Mosque of Mecca.

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  Muslim American soldiers in the prostrate position while praying.

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  The Mihrab in one of the walls of a mosque indicates the qibla direction to be used for prayers. Picture from the Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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  Great circle passing through two points

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  Calculating the qibla from Yogyakarta, Indonesia (see text for calculation details)

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  Twice a year, the sun passes directly above the Kaaba, allowing the observation of its direction from the shadow of a vertical object.

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  A map generated using the Craig retroazimuthal projection centered on Mecca. Unlike most map projections, it preserves the direction from any other point on the map to the center.

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  A portion of the qibla table compiled by astronomer and muwaqqit Shams al-Din al-Khalili of Damascus in the 14th century. The qibla directions are listed in the Arabic sexagesimal notation.

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  A map of an area in modern Cairo. Note that the mosques have slightly different orientations.

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  The Islamic Center of Washington (founded 1953), one of the early mosques in the United States. Its qibla faces the northeast in line with astronomical calculations.