Prayer times in Cairo, Egypt 2026: schedule, mosques, and tips

If you live in Cairo — or you’re visiting — knowing today’s prayer times is the foundation of a daily rhythm. Cairo has dozens of mosques within walking distance of almost any neighborhood, and the rhythm of the city literally shifts around the five daily prayers. Below is everything you need to know about Cairo’s prayer times in 2026: how they’re calculated, today’s schedule, the most prayer-friendly mosques, and tools to keep your day on track.

Today’s prayer times in Cairo

Cairo sits at latitude 30.0444° N, longitude 31.2357° E, in the Africa/Cairo timezone (UTC+2 in winter, UTC+3 during daylight saving). Prayer times shift through the year — Fajr is earliest in summer (~3:45 AM) and latest in winter (~5:15 AM); Isha ranges from ~7:00 PM in summer to ~7:45 PM in winter.

Prayer	Approximate range (Cairo, 2026)
Fajr	03:45 – 05:15
Sunrise	05:15 – 06:45
Dhuhr	11:50 – 12:50
Asr	15:15 – 16:30
Maghrib	17:30 – 18:30
Isha	19:00 – 19:45

These ranges are approximate. The exact time on a given day depends on the calculation method your mosque or app uses (see below) and on the solar equation for that date.

How Cairo’s prayer times are calculated

Egyptian authorities use a fixed-angle method for the five daily prayers. The angles, in degrees below the horizon:

Fajr: 19.5° (sun’s upper limb before sunrise)
Isha: 17.5° (sun’s upper limb after sunset)
Asr: Shafi’i school uses 1× shadow length; Hanafi school (more common in Egypt) uses 2× shadow length. Egyptian official schedules typically use 1× (Shafi’i).
Maghrib: sunset
Dhuhr: when the sun crosses the meridian (with a small offset for safety)

The Egyptian Survey Authority publishes official monthly prayer-time calendars, available in print at mosques and online at moi.gov.eg. Most mosques follow these official times closely, though individual imams may add 1–2 minutes for safety.

Ramadan in Cairo: what changes

During Ramadan, the rhythm intensifies. Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) before Fajr is a Cairo institution — most neighborhoods have at least one street cart serving feteer and foul. Tarawih prayers after Isha draw massive crowds to Al-Azhar, Hussein, and Al-Rifa’i mosques. If you’re visiting during Ramadan, expect Iftar (sunset fast-breaking) to dominate evening life: the city effectively pauses for 30 minutes at Maghrib.

Cairo mosques worth knowing

Al-Azhar Mosque (Islamic Cairo) — one of the oldest universities in the world; five daily prayers with especially crowded Jumu’ah.
Al-Hussein Mosque — atmospheric, central; one of Cairo’s most revered.
Ibn Tulun Mosque — open courtyard, oldest surviving mosque in Cairo; peaceful for midday prayers.
Al-Rifa’i Mosque — grand 19th-century; near the Citadel.
Amr ibn al-As Mosque — the oldest mosque in Africa, in Fustat.

Keeping Cairo’s prayer times on your phone

For an expat or visitor, the simplest way to track Cairo’s prayer times is to share your location with a Telegram bot like Salleet. Once you share your location once, Salleet computes your local Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha automatically — and adjusts daily for Cairo’s seasonal shift. It nudges you at each prayer time and tracks your streak so you can see your consistency over weeks and months. (Salleet supports the Egyptian calculation method and the Hanafi/Asr options.)

Quick FAQ

Is the adhan called at the exact calculated time in Cairo? Usually within 1–2 minutes. Major mosques use the Egyptian Survey Authority times; smaller mosques sometimes add a small safety margin.

What about DST? Egypt announced it would suspend DST starting 2023 but reintroduced it for 2023–2026. As of 2026, Egypt observes UTC+3 in summer. Check the latest — official policy has shifted before.

Can I use Salleet for Cairo? Yes — share your location once; the bot picks up your timezone automatically. You can also manually set the timezone to Africa/Cairo if you’d rather not share GPS.

Prayer times for Cairo, Egypt — updated regularly. Try Salleet to get today’s exact Cairo schedule on Telegram.