Qibla direction in São Cristóvão

How to face the Qibla in São Cristóvão

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 23.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 66.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 24° 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 São Cristóvão, 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from São Cristóvão to Mecca points to 66.8°, only 0.5° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 66.3° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 66.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 11.0147° S, 37.2064° 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 São Cristóvão to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 9,143 km from São Cristóvão as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 9,212 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 11 h 15 min, although most pilgrims from São Cristóvão connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in São Cristóvão 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 São Cristóvão rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in São Cristóvão

On 213 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of São Cristóvão 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 11:10 local time.

On 121 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 14:00.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in São Cristóvão: at 06:18 and 06:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

São Cristóvão compared with other cities

Compared with Brasília, 1,275 km away, the Qibla in São Cristóvão is turned 2.5° further anticlockwise (66.3° against 68.8°), and Mecca is 1,274 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Aracaju (19 km), prays towards 66.3°, 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 São Cristóvão

• Aracaju66.3° · 19 km
• Itabaiana66.4° · 44 km
• Lagarto66.4° · 50 km
• Arapiraca66.3° · 152 km
• Alagoinhas66.5° · 182 km
• Paulo Afonso66.7° · 210 km