The Sun is set to position itself directly above the Holy Kaaba in Makkah on Wednesday, causing the monument’s shadow to vanish momentarily, the Jeddah Astronomical Society has announced.
precise astronomical calculations, this celestial event will take place at 12:26:44pm local time in Saudi Arabia. In Pakistan, the phenomenon will be observable at 2:26:44pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
At this moment, the Sun’s rays will strike the Grand Mosque vertically, eliminating the shadows cast by the Kaaba and other vertical structures within Makkah.
Notably, this alignment provides a unique opportunity for Muslims worldwide, especially in regions where the Sun is visible at the specified time, to determine the exact Qibla direction without relying on modern tools. By observing the shadow of a perfectly vertical object, one can identify the Qibla line, which lies directly opposite the shadow’s direction.
This event is part of a biannual natural cycle rather than a rare occurrence. The Sun passes directly over the Kaaba twice each year due to Makkah’s geographic position between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer.
The first occurrence usually happens in late May, followed by the second in mid-July. Historically, this solar alignment has served as a dependable astronomical method for establishing the direction of prayer.
Records indicate that Islamic astronomers have used the Sun’s transit over Makkah to calibrate the Qibla direction since at least the 13th century. Renowned scholars and mathematicians such as Jaghmini and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi documented methods employing solar shadows to accurately determine geographical orientations for mosques constructed far from Makkah.
