Qibla · Rondônia
Qibla direction in Ji Paraná
To face the Kaaba in Ji Paraná, turn to 70.5° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (19.5° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 11,654 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ji Paraná should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 70.5°, the Qibla of Ji Paraná. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 70° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Ji Paraná
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 19.5° towards north: the result is the bearing of 70.5°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 20° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Ji Paraná, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Ji Paraná to Mecca points to 72.1°, only 1.6° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 70.5° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 70.5° obtained? From the coordinates of Ji Paraná (10.8853° S, 61.9517° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Ji Paraná to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 11,654 km from Ji Paraná as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,666 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 13 min, although most pilgrims from Ji Paraná connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Ji Paraná 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 Ji Paraná rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ji Paraná
On 164 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ji Paraná 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 March 2027 it happens at 11:43 local time.
On 86 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 November (30 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 15:06.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 15:06 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 13:43 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 12:42 |
| 1 March 2027 | 11:43 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 10:45 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:34 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 08:36 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 07:28 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | — | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 06:51 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 07:49 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 08:53 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:42 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 10:37 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:28 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:36 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 13:41 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 15:20 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ji Paraná (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 Ji Paraná points straight to Mecca.
Ji Paraná compared with other cities
Compared with Brasília, 1,611 km away, the Qibla in Ji Paraná is turned 1.7° further clockwise (70.5° against 68.8°), and Mecca is 1,237 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Vilhena (285 km), prays towards 70.7°, a difference of 0.2°.
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 Ji Paraná
- Vilhena70.7° · 285 km
- Porto Velho70.1° · 319 km
- Tangará da Serra70.7° · 638 km
- Rio Branco70.7° · 649 km
- Sorriso70.0° · 704 km
- Sinop69.9° · 711 km
Qibla in Ji Paraná: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ji Paraná?
It is 70.5° from true north, which is east: 19.5° north of east.
How far is Ji Paraná from Mecca?
11,654 km in a straight line over the globe, and 11,666 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ji Paraná?
On 164 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Brazil?
No. It ranges from 66.1° to 74.2° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 70.5° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.