Qibla direction in Parakou

How to face the Qibla in Parakou

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 23.1° towards north: the result is the bearing of 66.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 23° 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 Parakou, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Parakou 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 Parakou to Mecca points to 71.3° (east), 4.4° away from the correct 66.9°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 5 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 66.9° is the direction in which the shortest route from 9.3372° N, 2.6303° 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 Parakou to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,195 km from Parakou as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,260 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 26 min, although most pilgrims from Parakou connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Parakou run 2 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Parakou rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Parakou

On 137 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Parakou while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 15 April 2027 it happens at 12:45 local time.

On 189 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 March (31 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 18:08.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Parakou: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Parakou compared with other cities

Compared with Porto-Novo, 316 km away, the Qibla in Parakou is turned 3.3° further clockwise (66.9° against 63.6°), and Mecca is 135 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Abomey (250 km), prays towards 64.7°, a difference of 2.2°.

Among the 4 cities in Benin on this site, Parakou has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 63.6° in Cotonou. Across the country the direction varies by 3.3°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Benin.

Qibla in cities near Parakou

• Abomey64.7° · 250 km
• Porto-Novo63.6° · 316 km
• Cotonou63.6° · 331 km