Qibla direction in Koudougou

How to face the Qibla in Koudougou

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 18.6° towards north: the result is the bearing of 71.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 19° 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 Koudougou, 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 Koudougou to Mecca points to 77.2° (east), 5.8° away from the correct 71.4°. 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 71.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 12.2519° N, 2.3669° 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 Koudougou to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,590 km from Koudougou as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,613 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 54 min, although most pilgrims from Koudougou connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Koudougou run 3 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Koudougou rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Koudougou

On 81 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Koudougou while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 11:30 local time.

On 163 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 March (31 days), for instance on 1 February 2027 at 17:47.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Koudougou: at 09:18 and 09:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Koudougou compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Ouagadougou (71.4°), and Mecca is 90 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ouagadougou (91 km), prays towards 71.4°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.

Across the 6 cities in Burkina Faso on this site, the Qibla ranges from 70.1° in Banfora to 72.8° in Ouahigouya, a spread of 2.7°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Burkina Faso.

Qibla in cities near Koudougou

• Ouagadougou71.4° · 91 km
• Ouahigouya72.8° · 147 km
• Kaya72.1° · 167 km
• Bobo-Dioulasso70.6° · 241 km
• Banfora70.1° · 316 km