Prayer Times in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Praying in Colombo

Colombo, Sri Lanka's commercial capital, is a tropical port city of around 800,000 people (over 5 million in the metro area) where the Indian Ocean trade winds have deposited Arab, Malay, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences for a thousand years. The Pettah district's chaotic bazaars, the Galle Face Green seafront promenade, and the colonial Fort quarter tell the story of an island at the crossroads of Asia.

Colombo's Muslims — Moors, Malays and Memons, around 10% of the city — are centred on the Pettah, where the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque (the Red Mosque, 1908) rises in red-and-white stripes above the market streets. Built by the local community to guide ships into port, it remains the city's Islamic landmark. At 6.9°N, Colombo's prayer times are almost perfectly stable: Fajr near 4:55 AM, Dhuhr around noon, Maghrib just after 6:10 PM, with the two monsoons (May–August, October–January) bringing rain but barely shifting the clock. During Ramadan, the Pettah's Main Street becomes an iftar bazaar — watalappan (coconut custard), saruwath drinks and the famous Colombo biryani — with Galle Face Green filling after Taraweeh.

🧭 Qibla Direction from Colombo

From Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Qibla points 294.8° clockwise from true north — facing west-northwest (WNW). This is the great-circle bearing computed from Colombo's coordinates (6.9271°, 79.8612°) to the Kaaba in Mecca (21.4225°N, 39.8262°E).

294.8° WNW

Hold your phone flat with a compass app: turn until the needle points 294.8° clockwise from north. Keep metal objects away for an accurate reading.

Colombo — key facts

City

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Coordinates

6.9271° N, 79.8612° E

Timezone

Asia/Colombo

Population

around 800,000 in the city, over 5 million in the metro area

Notable mosque

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque (Red Mosque, 1908)

Landmark

Jami Ul-Alfar Red Mosque and Galle Face Green

Qibla direction

294.8° (WNW, west-northwest)

Calculation method

Muslim World League (default; changeable above)

Hijri date today

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Calculation method & data source

Times on this page are computed by the Aladhan prayer-times API (free, no key required) for Colombo's coordinates (6.9271, 79.8612), using the Muslim World League method (method 3) by default. You can switch to another convention — Karachi, ISNA, Egypt, Makkah, Turkey (Diyanet), Singapore and more — with the dropdown above; your choice is remembered on this device.

Published timetables and local mosques in Colombo may differ by a few minutes because they sometimes apply their own adjustments or a different method. When in doubt, follow your local mosque.

FAQs — prayer times in Colombo

Which direction is the Qibla from Colombo?

From Colombo, the Qibla is 294.8° clockwise from true north — facing west-northwest (WNW). It is computed as the great-circle bearing from Colombo's coordinates (6.9271°, 79.8612°) to the Kaaba in Mecca (21.4225°N, 39.8262°E).

Why is Colombo's Red Mosque striped red and white?

The Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque — Colombo's Red Mosque — was built in 1908 by the local Muslim community, and its red-and-white striped brickwork was deliberately designed to be visible to ships entering the port. Its Indo-Saracenic domes, minarets and clock tower make it one of the most photographed buildings in Sri Lanka.

What calculation method is used for Colombo prayer times?

This page uses the Muslim World League method by default, computed via the free Aladhan API from Colombo's coordinates. You can switch to Karachi, ISNA, Egypt, Makkah, Turkey (Diyanet) and other methods with the dropdown above — your choice is saved on your device.

Why do these times differ slightly from my local mosque in Colombo?

Mosques sometimes apply their own adjustments — a different calculation method, added safety minutes, or a fixed timetable. A difference of a few minutes is normal; when in doubt, follow your local mosque in Colombo.