Qibla · Biskra Province
Qibla direction in Biskra
To face the Kaaba in Biskra, turn to 105.1° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (15.1° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,638 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Biskra should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 105.1°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 105°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Biskra
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 15.1° towards south: the result is the bearing of 105.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 15° off.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. The simplest check in Biskra is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Biskra. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Biskra to Mecca points to 114.1° (south-east), 9.0° away from the correct 105.1°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 12 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.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 34.8504° N, 5.7281° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Biskra to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,638 km from Biskra as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,452 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 47 min, although most pilgrims from Biskra connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Biskra 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 Biskra rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Biskra
On 239 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Biskra while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 March 2027 it happens at 07:50 local time.
On 108 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 1 May 2027 at 18:53.
| 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 | 07:50 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 08:16 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 08:46 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:10 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:37 | 18:53 |
| 15 May 2027 | 10:00 | 18:29 |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:23 | 18:09 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:35 | 18:03 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:37 | 18:08 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:27 | 18:21 |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:05 | 18:45 |
| 15 August 2027 | 09:39 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 09:02 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 08:30 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 07:52 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 07:20 | — |
| 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 Biskra: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Biskra compared with other cities
The Qibla here is practically the same as in Algiers (105.4°), and Mecca is 285 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Batna City (88 km), prays towards 106.6°, a difference of 1.5°.
Across the 38 cities in Algeria on this site, the Qibla ranges from 94.7° in Béchar to 110.2° in Annaba, a spread of 15.5°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Algeria.
Qibla in cities near Biskra
Qibla in Biskra: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Biskra?
It is 105.1° from true north, which is east: 15.1° south of east.
How far is Biskra from Mecca?
3,638 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,452 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Biskra?
On 239 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 Biskra not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 114.1°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Biskra at 105.1°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 105.1° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.