Qibla direction in La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia

How to face the Qibla in La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 16.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 73.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 17° 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 La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia, 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 La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia to Mecca points to 70.3° (east), 2.8° away from the correct 73.1°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 20 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 73.1° is the direction in which the shortest route from 16.5000° S, 68.1500° 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 La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,485 km from La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,518 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 11 min, although most pilgrims from La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia run 7 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia

On 176 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 15 February 2027 it happens at 11:58 local time.

On 85 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 14:56.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia (05:18 and 05:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 17:29 and 28 November 2027 at 17:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia points straight to Mecca.

La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Sucre (73.5°), and Mecca is 212 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Oruro (198 km), prays towards 73.5°, a difference of 0.4°.

Across the 7 cities in Bolivia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 72.6° in Santa Cruz de la Sierra to 74.3° in Tarija, a spread of 1.6°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Bolivia.

Qibla in cities near La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia

• Oruro73.5° · 198 km
• Cochabamba73.1° · 233 km
• Sucre73.5° · 416 km
• Potosí73.8° · 426 km
• Santa Cruz de la Sierra72.6° · 547 km
• Tarija74.3° · 665 km