Where does the East fall?

Salaam alaikum.

Aleyküm selam son... I guess you're not from around here, I'm seeing you for the first time.

No, I'm not from around here, I was passing by your village.

Are you a traveler? 

Yes, I am!

Which way are you traveling?

I'm on my way to the east, I just happened to be here. When I saw the village, I thought I'd rest a bit. You get tired after walking all day.

You did well, come in. Have a seat, stranger. I'll order you some tea.

What do you do? Who are you from? Where are you from?

I'm a traveler, I travel the world. 

I'm heading east, wherever the sun rises. You wouldn't recognize me if I told you who I am.

A guest of God! A traveler...

Tell me your name.

They call me Çelebi, Evliya Çelebi.

I both travel and write what I see.

***

The east is where the sun rises, right?

Yes, that side, you see that hill, right? 

Every day the sun rises right over that hill, that's the east.

Are you sure? The sun rises right over that hill every day?

Yes, I am sure. Although, it seems to change a little bit during the year.

In summer it rises a little more to the right of the hill.

A little to the right of the hill, a little to the left, what's the difference?

East is that way. The sun rises from that direction.

***

Indeed, the direction in which the sun rises and sets changes slightly throughout the year.

The direction the sun follows throughout the day also changes throughout the year. In the summer months, it hits us much more overhead, but in the winter months, it moves more obliquely, so it doesn't warm us as much.

And if you live higher up in latitude, this obliquity is much greater. The angle of the sun decreases the further north you go.

Also, the length of time the sun shines during the day gets shorter, the days get shorter and the nights get longer. 

The result is colder weather as you go north, much longer nights in the dark, snow, ice, cold. There are even times in winter above the polar circle when the sun is not visible at all.

Moreover, the east, the side where the sun rises, is different for someone living in the north and someone living further south. If both of them were to pinpoint the point where the sun rises and go in the direction they call east, they would intersect at some point.

However, if they proceeded according to the imaginary coordinates on the map, which we call latitude, it would seem that they would return around the world without intersecting until the point where they started. But when they take a direction according to the sunrise, they will definitely intersect on the way.

***

All this confusion arises because the earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle to its orbit.

When we orient according to the sun, we all have a different east! West is different!

Even north and south are different!

***

When we say north and south, since the earth has a spherical surface, the polar points are the intersection point, the point where we will meet when we turn our direction to north, wherever we are.

Of course, it is a separate issue that if north and south are determined according to the direction of sunrise and sunset during the year, the polar points will also deviate.

In this case, everyone would have a different north and south depending on where they live.

In a normal situation, north and south are in different directions for all of us.

Because the world is not flat as some people believe! It is a sphere! A little flattened at the poles, but still not flat.

If it is not flat, I will not go into how we don't fall down in this article. 

***

There is such a thing as spherical geometry. Did you know that?

Yes, we live in a three-dimensional universe, but mathematically, when you try to do a geometric operation on a sphere, for example, the sum of the interior angles of a triangle you draw is not 180° like on a plane.

If you turn north on the equator and draw a straight line to the pole, then turn 90° at the pole and draw a line back to the equator, you will see that the angle formed on the equator is still 90°. 

In this case, the sum of the interior angles of this triangle you have drawn on the sphere will be 270°.

Such a triangle is a triangle drawn with spherical geometry.

Spherical geometry has different rules from Euclidean geometry. The area calculations are also different.

You know the Pythagorean theorem that we are all taught first when we are taught geometry, a2+b2=c2 in a right triangle, imagine a similar theorem in spherical geometry, the formulas for such a theorem are also different in spherical geometry.

In fact, the basic theory that Euclidean geometry differs from other geometries is the principle of parallelism in Euclidean geometry. If two lines are parallel lines, they do not intersect forever.

But in spherical geometry this rule does not apply.

That's why other geometries are called non-Euclidean geometries.

Of course, non-Euclidean geometries are not limited to spherical geometry, there are different geometries other than spherical geometry.

For example, it is possible to create a geometry on the surface of a bagel-shaped object, and interestingly, there are no north and south poles on such a surface! 

It's called a torus.

Anyway, there are many different geometries. Let's not waste any more time on this topic.

But there should be more emphasis on these subjects in schools.

***

When we talk about east and west, we had to dive a little bit into geometry.

Yes, which way is east or which way is west, do you have a little bit of a picture in your mind now?

Or are you getting confused?

I don't know about that! I say east wherever the sun rises and west wherever it sets! I had poor grades in spherical geometry, even in geometry as we know it!

But I'm saying it doesn't work exactly!

Look, even if you look at it with a compass, you cannot understand your direction exactly. Because the magnetic poles of the world change over time and the compass does not exactly point to the north pole.

In short, do you understand how difficult it was to find directions in the past?

Even sailors used to be able to find their direction by doing a lot of calculations, drawing on a map with a ruler, using the pole star and so on.

Even today, it is not that easy to navigate, although it has become quite easy compared to the past.

Look, let me tell you the most accurate method for today. 

Turn on the navigator, press the button there, and it will set the map to the north.

If you go in that direction, you will find the pole point for sure.

In fact, there is no other way to find the right direction.

(Note: It is interesting, in the TDK dictionary, the Turkish equivalent of navigator is "yolbil", I have never heard of it! Actually, they thought well)

***

So, do you need a navigator for the south too, son? 

I was going to pray, but I was wondering which way the qibla is here.

Look, uncle, it is much more complicated than that, if you are in Europe you will stand in a different direction, if you are in Africa you will stand in a different direction, if you are in America you will stand in a different direction. 

Although in America you can turn right or left, I mean east or west, it's all complicated there.

It's the same if you're in Japan, it doesn't make any difference there like in America. 

But in Japan it's best to turn towards the west, if you turn towards the east it's a bit far. Your prayers will be answered with a delay.

***

After all, the qibla is the Kaaba, and the Kaaba is in Mecca. 

Since it is necessary to pray facing the Kaaba, everyone has to determine the direction according to where they live. You have to look at the map to see where the qibla is.

I never got a chance to ask what they do at the mosque in Norilsk in the winter, the sun doesn't come out for almost two months in the winter, I wonder how they organize the prayer times? 

As far as I remember, they take into account the prayer times of a more logical place and the time of iftar and sahur for fasting.

Yes, don't be surprised, the northernmost mosque in the world is in Norilsk as far as I know. The Tatars built it. It is called Nurd Kamal mosque. It was built by Mukhtad Bekmeyev, a Tatar businessman, in memory of his mother and father in Norilsk.

It is a beautiful mosque, there are Turkish motifs in it.

***

Let me end this article by saying, as always, stay with science. With science, you will not be wrong and you will not confuse your qibla.

May Allah never let anyone miss their qibla.

Love and respect to everyone from Moscow.