Qibla direction in Saida

How to face the Qibla in Saida

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 10.4° towards south: the result is the bearing of 100.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 10° off.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Saida, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Saida is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Saida to Mecca points to 111.0° (east), 10.6° away from the correct 100.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 19 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 value of 100.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.8303° N, 0.1517° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Saida to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,134 km from Saida as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,955 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 22 min, although most pilgrims from Saida connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Saida 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 Saida rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Saida

On 218 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Saida 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 15 March 2027 it happens at 08:08 local time.

On 128 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 18:41.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Saida: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Saida compared with other cities

Compared with Algiers, 339 km away, the Qibla in Saida is turned 5.0° further anticlockwise (100.4° against 105.4°), and Mecca is 211 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mascara (63 km), prays towards 101.2°, a difference of 0.7°.

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 Saida

• Mascara101.2° · 63 km
• Sidi Bel Abbes100.3° · 82 km
• Relizane101.9° · 107 km
• Oran100.9° · 120 km
• Tiaret102.1° · 122 km
• Mostaganem101.8° · 123 km