It is Islam’s holiest shrine — and for a few moments on Monday, it will also be the easiest to find.
Astronomers say the sun will pass directly over the top of the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia and when it does, the cube-shaped structure, draped in black silk at the center of the world’s most sacred Muslim site, will cast no shadow.
Muslims across the world must face the direction — known as the “Qibla” — of the Kaaba when praying. Monday’s alignment of the sun over the shrine, which happens twice a year, means the faithful can find the Qibla simply by facing the sun.
