Rare astronomical event: Sun directly overhead Ka'bah during Dhuhr call to prayer

The sky above the holy city of Makkah witnessed a rare astronomical phenomenon on Thursday, 28 May 2026, at 12:18 local time. The sun precisely moved directly over the Ka’bah, according to a report released by Saudi state news agency SPA, cited by Arab News. This natural event coincided exactly with the Dhuhr call to prayer. The moment provides a naturally precise opportunity for Muslims worldwide to determine and verify the qibla direction. Majed Abu Zahra, director of the Jeddah Astronomical Association, explained that the sun reached a height of 89.94 degrees for a perfect vertical alignment above the Ka’bah. This figure is just 0.06 degrees (approximately 3.6 arcminutes) short of perfect verticality. This condition offers the public a direct opportunity to independently verify the accuracy of the qibla direction using the sun’s position and vertical shadows. With the sun’s rays hitting perpendicularly, the Ka’bah and all vertical objects in Makkah cast no shadow at that precise moment. Occurs twice annually. Abu Zahra added that this natural phenomenon occurs twice a year, a result of the sun’s apparent movement between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Geographically, Makkah lies at approximately 21.4 degrees north latitude. Therefore, the sun passes directly overhead twice a year: late May as it moves northward and mid-July as it travels southward. This phenomenon holds significant scientific and educational value due to its connection with astronomical calculations, Earth’s movements, and celestial coordinates. Historically, this navigation method has been used for centuries by medieval Muslim scholars to calibrate the qibla direction of mosques across the globe.