Qibla direction in Ribeirão das Neves

How to face the Qibla in Ribeirão das Neves

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 22.2° towards north: the result is the bearing of 67.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 22° 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 Ribeirão das Neves, 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 Ribeirão das Neves to Mecca points to 63.4° (north-east), 4.5° away from the correct 67.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 9 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 67.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 19.7669° S, 44.0867° 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 Ribeirão das Neves to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 10,203 km from Ribeirão das Neves as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 10,301 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 12 h 30 min, although most pilgrims from Ribeirão das Neves connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Ribeirão das Neves run 6 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Ribeirão das Neves rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ribeirão das Neves

On 232 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ribeirão das Neves 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 1 February 2027 it happens at 11:43 local time.

On 61 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 December (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 12:37.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ribeirão das Neves (06:18 and 06:27 local time), so they cannot be used here.

Ribeirão das Neves compared with other cities

Compared with Brasília, 602 km away, the Qibla in Ribeirão das Neves is turned 0.9° further anticlockwise (67.8° against 68.8°), and Mecca is 214 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Belo Horizonte (23 km), prays towards 67.8°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.

Across the 257 cities in Brazil on this site, the Qibla ranges from 66.1° in Maceió to 74.2° in Uruguaiana, a spread of 8.1°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Brazil.

Qibla in cities near Ribeirão das Neves

• Belo Horizonte67.8° · 23 km
• Santa Luzia67.8° · 25 km
• Betim67.9° · 25 km
• Ibirité67.8° · 29 km
• Sete Lagoas67.9° · 37 km
• Itabira67.5° · 91 km