Qibla direction in Vitebsk

How to face the Qibla in Vitebsk

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 15.9° towards east: the result is the bearing of 164.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 16° 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 Vitebsk, 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Vitebsk to Mecca points to 167.8° (south), 3.7° away from the correct 164.1°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 2 km longer than 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 164.1° is the direction in which the shortest route from 55.1904° N, 30.2049° 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 Vitebsk to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,840 km from Vitebsk as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,502 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 01 min, although most pilgrims from Vitebsk connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Vitebsk run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Vitebsk rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Vitebsk

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Vitebsk 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 11:54 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Vitebsk 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 Vitebsk: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Vitebsk compared with other cities

Compared with Minsk, 223 km away, the Qibla in Vitebsk is turned 4.9° further clockwise (164.1° against 159.2°), and Mecca is 83 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Orsha (76 km), prays towards 164.1°, a difference of 0.1°.

Across the 13 cities in Belarus on this site, the Qibla ranges from 151.8° in Brest, Brest Oblast, Belarus to 164.2° in Homyel, a spread of 12.4°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Belarus.

Qibla in cities near Vitebsk

• Orsha164.1° · 76 km
• Mogilev163.8° · 143 km
• Borisov160.9° · 153 km
• Minsk159.2° · 223 km
• Babruysk161.5° · 236 km
• Homyel164.2° · 311 km