Qibla direction in Gravataí

How to face the Qibla in Gravataí

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 18.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 71.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 18° 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 Gravataí, 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 Gravataí to Mecca points to 59.6° (north-east), 12.0° away from the correct 71.6°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 27 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 71.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 29.9422° S, 50.9928° 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 Gravataí to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,250 km from Gravataí as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,388 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 13 h 44 min, although most pilgrims from Gravataí connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Gravataí 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 Gravataí rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Gravataí

On 257 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Gravataí 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 11:13 local time.

On 77 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 18:11.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Gravataí (06:18 and 06:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 18:29 and 28 November 2027 at 18:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Gravataí points straight to Mecca.

Gravataí compared with other cities

Compared with Brasília, 1,606 km away, the Qibla in Gravataí is turned 2.8° further clockwise (71.6° against 68.8°), and Mecca is 833 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Viamão (16 km), prays towards 71.6°, 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 Gravataí

• Viamão71.6° · 16 km
• Sapucaia do Sul71.6° · 20 km
• Porto Alegre71.7° · 25 km
• Novo Hamburgo71.6° · 32 km
• Caxias do Sul71.5° · 88 km
• Bento Gonçalves71.7° · 100 km