Prayer Times in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Praying in Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam — 'Haven of Peace' — is Tanzania's commercial capital, a humid Indian Ocean metropolis of over 7 million people and one of Africa's fastest-growing cities. Its name promises tranquillity; its reality is glorious chaos — daladala minibuses, the Kariakoo market's endless stalls, and the ferry to Zanzibar departing from the harbour as dhows bob alongside.

Dar's Muslim community is large and historic, rooted in the Swahili coast's thousand-year Islamic heritage and strengthened by the city's role as the mainland gateway to Zanzibar. The Kigamboni area's mosques and the city-centre masjids fill for all five prayers, and Friday Jummah sees the Kariakoo district pause. At 6.8°S, Dar es Salaam's prayer times are equatorially steady: Fajr near 5:15 AM, Dhuhr around 12:30 PM, Maghrib just after 6:30 PM, with barely fifteen minutes of annual variation. During Ramadan, the city's coastal character shines — the Upanga and Kariakoo night markets sell mishkaki skewers, urojo soup and fresh coconut, and the beaches of Kigamboni fill with families after Taraweeh. The city's name means 'Haven of Peace' in Arabic, given by Sultan Majid of Zanzibar when he founded it in the 1860s. The Mwenge craft market is the best place in Tanzania for Makonde woodcarvings.

🧭 Qibla Direction from Dar es Salaam

From Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the Qibla points 1.2° clockwise from true north — facing north (N). This is the great-circle bearing computed from Dar es Salaam's coordinates (-6.7924°, 39.2083°) to the Kaaba in Mecca (21.4225°N, 39.8262°E).

1.2° N

Hold your phone flat with a compass app: turn until the needle points 1.2° clockwise from north. Keep metal objects away for an accurate reading.

Dar es Salaam — key facts

City

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Coordinates

-6.7924° N, 39.2083° E

Timezone

Africa/Dar_es_Salaam

Population

over 7 million in the metro area

Notable mosque

City-centre and Kigamboni mosques of the Swahili tradition

Landmark

Kariakoo Market and the Kigamboni beaches

Qibla direction

1.2° (N, north)

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 Dar es Salaam's coordinates (-6.7924, 39.2083), 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 Dar es Salaam 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 Dar es Salaam

Which direction is the Qibla from Dar es Salaam?

From Dar es Salaam, the Qibla is 1.2° clockwise from true north — facing north (N). It is computed as the great-circle bearing from Dar es Salaam's coordinates (-6.7924°, 39.2083°) to the Kaaba in Mecca (21.4225°N, 39.8262°E).

What is the Kigamboni Bridge?

The Kigamboni Bridge (Nyerere Bridge), opened in 2016, is East Africa's longest cable-stayed bridge at 680 metres — it cut the ferry crossing to the Kigamboni peninsula from hours to minutes and opened up the city's famous southern beaches.

What calculation method is used for Dar es Salaam prayer times?

This page uses the Muslim World League method by default, computed via the free Aladhan API from Dar es Salaam'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 Dar es Salaam?

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 Dar es Salaam.