Qibla direction in Río Cuarto

How to face the Qibla in Río Cuarto

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 11.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 78.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 11° 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 Río Cuarto, 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 Río Cuarto to Mecca points to 61.3° (north-east), a full 17.4° away from the true Qibla of 78.6° (east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 59 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Río Cuarto first heads east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 78.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 33.1304° S, 64.3527° 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 Río Cuarto to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,564 km from Río Cuarto as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,701 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 17 min, although most pilgrims from Río Cuarto connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Río Cuarto 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 Río Cuarto rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Río Cuarto

On 215 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Río Cuarto 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 11:12 local time.

On 117 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 18:12.

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

Río Cuarto compared with other cities

Compared with Buenos Aires, 576 km away, the Qibla in Río Cuarto is turned 2.4° further clockwise (78.6° against 76.3°), and Mecca is 503 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, San Luis (184 km), prays towards 79.7°, a difference of 1.0°.

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 Río Cuarto

• San Luis79.7° · 184 km
• Córdoba, Cordoba Province, Argentina77.9° · 192 km
• Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina76.8° · 347 km
• Santa Fe76.4° · 380 km
• San Nicolás de los Arroyos76.7° · 386 km
• Santa Rosa, La Pampa Province, Argentina80.1° · 388 km