A question we receive often: “My watch is two minutes ahead of our city calendar — which is correct?” The reassuring answer: usually both, and the difference has well-known scientific causes.
The main reasons times differ
- Fajr and Isha angles: authorities adopt different angles (15°, 18° or 19.5°), shifting fajr by minutes.
- The measurement point within a city: the center or the outskirts — in large cities it matters.
- Elevation above sea level: mountain cities see sunset at a different moment than the coast.
- Precaution rules: some authorities add safety minutes — an administrative choice, not an astronomical one.
What do we do?
We adopt each country's official tables wherever available and document every city's calculation method. That is why we always note that times may differ by a few minutes from your local authority — whose ruling remains primary in your country.