Prayer Times in Kabul

About Prayer Times in Kabul

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, home to approximately 4–5 million people. Afghanistan is almost entirely Muslim — approximately 99% — divided between a Sunni majority (approximately 80–85%, mostly Hanafi) and a Shia minority (approximately 15–20%, largely Hazara). Kabul reflects this diversity: the city's Hazara-dominated Dashte Barchi neighbourhood has large Shia mosques and imambaras, while Sunni mosques of the Hanafi tradition predominate throughout the rest of the city.

Afghanistan's prayer times are calculated by the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs using the Karachi (UISK) method for Sunni communities and separate Shia jurisprudential tables for Shia. At 34.6°N, Kabul experiences significant seasonal variation in prayer times: Fajr ranges from approximately 3:05 AM in June to 6:20 AM in December, while Isha ranges from 10:45 PM (summer) to 6:45 PM (winter). Kabul's altitude of 1,790 metres gives it a cold winter, with pre-Fajr worshippers in winter often rising in near-freezing temperatures.

The Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque ("Mosque of the King of Two Swords") on the banks of the Kabul River, and the Pul-e-Khishti Mosque near the city's central market, are Kabul's most prominent historic mosques. The Shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib in nearby Mazar-i-Sharif is the holiest site in Afghanistan. Kabul's Islamic life has been deeply affected by decades of conflict, but mosques remain the central communal institutions in every neighbourhood, and Friday Jumu'ah prayers draw some of the largest gatherings the city sees.