Qibla direction in Merlo

How to face the Qibla in Merlo

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 13.5° towards north: the result is the bearing of 76.5°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 14° 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 Merlo, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Merlo to Mecca points to 59.1° (north-east), a full 17.3° away from the true Qibla of 76.5° (east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 58 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Merlo first heads east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 76.5° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.6654° S, 58.7274° 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 Merlo to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,094 km from Merlo as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,246 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 44 min, although most pilgrims from Merlo connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Merlo run 6 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Merlo rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Merlo

On 225 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Merlo while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 10:48 local time.

On 105 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 18:13.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Merlo (06:18 and 06:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 18:29 and 28 November 2027 at 18:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Merlo points straight to Mecca.

Merlo compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Buenos Aires (76.3°), and Mecca is 33 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Laferrere (16 km), prays towards 76.4°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.

Across the 34 cities in Argentina on this site, the Qibla ranges from 73.1° in Posadas to 86.4° in Comodoro Rivadavia, a spread of 13.3°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Argentina.

Qibla in cities near Merlo

• Laferrere76.4° · 16 km
• Jose C. Paz76.4° · 17 km
• Buenos Aires76.3° · 33 km
• Quilmes76.2° · 44 km
• La Plata76.2° · 76 km
• San Nicolás de los Arroyos76.7° · 202 km