Qibla · Béchar Province
Qibla direction in Béchar
To face the Kaaba in Béchar, turn to 94.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (4.7° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,306 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Béchar should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 94.7°, the Qibla of Béchar. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 95° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Béchar
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 4.7° towards south: the result is the bearing of 94.7°. The direction is close to due east, which makes it easy to remember.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Béchar, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Béchar is a handy reference, because the prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Béchar to Mecca points to 105.2° (east), 10.5° away from the correct 94.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 20 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
How is the figure of 94.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Béchar (31.6167° N, 2.2167° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Béchar to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,306 km from Béchar as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,156 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 34 min, although most pilgrims from Béchar connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Béchar run 2 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Béchar rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Béchar
On 196 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Béchar while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 1 April 2027 it happens at 08:18 local time.
On 157 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in May (31 days), for instance on 15 April 2027 at 18:40.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | — | — |
| 15 March 2027 | — | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 08:18 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 08:49 | 18:40 |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:24 | 17:59 |
| 15 May 2027 | 09:54 | 17:27 |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:25 | 17:00 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:40 | 16:50 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:41 | 16:56 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:28 | 17:14 |
| 1 August 2027 | 09:57 | 17:46 |
| 15 August 2027 | 09:24 | 18:15 |
| 1 September 2027 | 08:39 | 18:51 |
| 15 September 2027 | 08:00 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | — |
| 15 October 2027 | — | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Béchar: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Béchar compared with other cities
Compared with Algiers, 749 km away, the Qibla in Béchar is turned 10.7° further anticlockwise (94.7° against 105.4°), and Mecca is 382 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Tlemcen (372 km), prays towards 99.4°, a difference of 4.7°.
Among the 38 cities in Algeria on this site, Béchar has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 110.2° in Annaba. Across the country the direction varies by 15.5°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Algeria.
Qibla in cities near Béchar
- Tlemcen99.4° · 372 km
- Saida100.4° · 420 km
- Sidi Bel Abbes100.3° · 424 km
- Mascara101.2° · 474 km
- Oran100.9° · 477 km
- Mostaganem101.8° · 525 km
Qibla in Béchar: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Béchar?
It is 94.7° from true north, which is east: 4.7° south of east.
How far is Béchar from Mecca?
4,306 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,156 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Béchar?
On 196 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Béchar not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 105.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Béchar at 94.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 94.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.