Accuracy of the Qibla Direction of the Tomb of Imogiri in Yogyakarta with Google Earth

Abstract

Among some of the guidelines of worship in Islam related to the Science of Falak is burying the body by positioning it towards the qibla. The majority of scholars are of the opinion that it is necessary for the burial of the body to face the direction of the Qibla. The deviation of the direction of the qibla in mosques and cemeteries is a classic problem that still persists. This requires an evaluation of the calibration accuracy of ancient tombs to measure the degree of astronomical deviation. One of the ancient burial sites in Java is the Imogiri Tomb Complex. This type of research uses field research. The source of data in this study is to directly measure the direction of the qibla of the Imogiri Tomb Complex. The data collection technique is using the documentation method, then it will be analyzed using the analytical-descriptive method. The results of this study show that; The entire area of the Imogiri Tomb Complex based on the level of accuracy of its Qibla direction can be classified into two groups;  First, the Accurate which consists of 1 kedhaton; Kedhaton of Astana Luhur/ Kapingsangan. The measurement results showed that the accuracy level in this area was more accurate than the second area, which was 2°. Second, the Less accurate is the group of tombs of the Kings of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, namely Kedhaton of Sutan Agungan, Kedhaton of Pakubuwanan, Kedhaton of Kasuwargan Surakarta, Kedhaton of Girimulyo, Kedhaton of Kasuwargan Yogyakarta, Kedhaton of Besiyaran, Kedhaton of Saptarengga. The measurement results show that the qibla direction in this area has a lower level of accuracy, which is 13°-14° off. So the way the Qibla points in this area is somewhat "less accurate".