Qibla direction in Tandil

How to face the Qibla in Tandil

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 12.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 77.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 12° 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 Tandil, 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 Tandil to Mecca points to 57.8° (north-east), a full 19.7° away from the true Qibla of 77.6° (east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 76 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Tandil first heads east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 77.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 37.3287° S, 59.1369° 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 Tandil to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,196 km from Tandil as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,362 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 51 min, although most pilgrims from Tandil connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Tandil 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 Tandil rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tandil

On 221 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tandil 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 10:26 local time.

On 112 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 18:14.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Tandil (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 Tandil points straight to Mecca.

Tandil compared with other cities

Compared with Buenos Aires, 310 km away, the Qibla in Tandil is turned 1.3° further clockwise (77.6° against 76.3°), and Mecca is 135 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mar del Plata (158 km), prays towards 76.9°, a difference of 0.6°.

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 Tandil

• Mar del Plata76.9° · 158 km
• La Plata76.2° · 288 km
• Laferrere76.4° · 291 km
• Merlo76.5° · 298 km
• Quilmes76.2° · 301 km
• Buenos Aires76.3° · 310 km