Qibla direction in Gyumri

How to face the Qibla in Gyumri

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 11.2° towards west: the result is the bearing of 191.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 11° off.

Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Gyumri, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Gyumri to Mecca points to 190.0°, only 1.2° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 191.2° bearing remains the exact one.

How is the figure of 191.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Gyumri (40.7931° N, 43.8464° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.

Distance from Gyumri to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,187 km from Gyumri as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,858 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 04 min, although most pilgrims from Gyumri connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Gyumri run 1 hour ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Gyumri rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Gyumri

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Gyumri 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 13:52 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Gyumri during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Gyumri: at 13:18 and 13:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Gyumri compared with other cities

Compared with Yerevan, 89 km away, the Qibla in Gyumri is turned 2.2° further anticlockwise (191.2° against 193.4°), and Mecca is 55 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Yerevan (89 km), prays towards 193.4°, a difference of 2.2°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Armenia.

Qibla in cities near Gyumri

• Yerevan193.4° · 89 km