Qibla direction in Luena

How to face the Qibla in Luena

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 30.6° towards east: the result is the bearing of 30.6°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Luena.

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. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Luena to Mecca points to 30.5°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 30.6° bearing remains the exact one.

The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 11.7833° S, 19.9167° 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 Luena to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,285 km from Luena as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,563 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 32 min, although most pilgrims from Luena connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Luena 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 Luena rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Luena

On 249 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Luena 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 11:43 local time.

On 116 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 January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 12:13.

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

Luena compared with other cities

Compared with Luanda, 801 km away, the Qibla in Luena is turned 9.9° further anticlockwise (30.6° against 40.4°), and Mecca is 159 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Saurimo (242 km), prays towards 31.4°, a difference of 0.8°.

Among the 30 cities in Angola on this site, Luena has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 44.2° in Cabinda. Across the country the direction varies by 13.6°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Angola.

Qibla in cities near Luena

• Saurimo31.4° · 242 km
• Cuito33.8° · 331 km
• Lucapa31.8° · 385 km
• Menongue31.5° · 400 km
• Catchiungo34.5° · 410 km
• Malanje36.5° · 464 km