Qibla direction in Baku

How to face the Qibla in Baku

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 27.3° towards west: the result is the bearing of 207.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 27° 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 Baku, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Baku 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Baku to Mecca points to 204.3° (south-west), 3.0° away from the correct 207.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is not the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 207.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 40.3777° N, 49.8920° E 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 Baku to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,312 km from Baku as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,012 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 13 min, although most pilgrims from Baku connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Baku 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 Baku rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Baku

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Baku 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 14:34 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Baku 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 Baku: at 13:18 and 13:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Baku compared with other cities

The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Sumqayit (30 km), prays towards 206.5°, a difference of 0.8°.

Among the 5 cities in Azerbaijan on this site, Baku has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 198.0° in Ganja. Across the country the direction varies by 9.3°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Azerbaijan.

Qibla in cities near Baku

• Sumqayit206.5° · 30 km
• Yevlakh200.1° · 233 km
• Mingachevir199.8° · 243 km
• Ganja198.0° · 300 km