Qibla direction in Tlemcen

How to face the Qibla in Tlemcen

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 9.4° towards south: the result is the bearing of 99.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 9° 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 Tlemcen, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Tlemcen 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 Tlemcen to Mecca points to 110.4° (east), 11.0° away from the correct 99.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 22 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 99.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.8783° N, 1.3150° W 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 Tlemcen to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,267 km from Tlemcen as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,089 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 31 min, although most pilgrims from Tlemcen connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Tlemcen 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 Tlemcen rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tlemcen

On 217 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tlemcen 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 08:07 local time.

On 133 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 18:39.

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

Tlemcen compared with other cities

Compared with Algiers, 447 km away, the Qibla in Tlemcen is turned 6.0° further anticlockwise (99.4° against 105.4°), and Mecca is 344 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Sidi Bel Abbes (71 km), prays towards 100.3°, a difference of 0.9°.

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 Tlemcen

• Sidi Bel Abbes100.3° · 71 km
• Oran100.9° · 110 km
• Saida100.4° · 134 km
• Mascara101.2° · 144 km
• Mostaganem101.8° · 173 km
• Relizane101.9° · 195 km