Qibla direction in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

How to face the Qibla in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 16.5° towards east: the result is the bearing of 16.5°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 17° 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 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 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

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to Mecca points to 101.6° (east), a full 85.1° away from the true Qibla of 16.5° (north). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 2,836 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada first heads north, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 16.5° is the direction in which the shortest route from 48.4359° N, 123.3516° 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 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,069 km from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,733 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 42 min, although most pilgrims from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada run 10 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

From Victoria, British Columbia, Canada the sun never rises high in the Qibla direction of 16.5°, so you cannot simply face the sun. The opposite method works instead, as the right-hand column of the table shows.

On 365 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 14:26.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (02:18 and 02:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 14:29 and 28 November 2027 at 14:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada points straight to Mecca.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada compared with other cities

Compared with Ottawa, 3,576 km away, the Qibla in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada is turned 40.7° further anticlockwise (16.5° against 57.2°), and Mecca is 1,924 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Delta (76 km), prays towards 16.7°, a difference of 0.2°.

Among the 46 cities in Canada on this site, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 73.4° in St. John's. Across the country the direction varies by 56.9°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Canada.

Qibla in cities near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

• Delta16.7° · 76 km
• Surrey16.9° · 84 km
• Vancouver16.7° · 92 km
• Coquitlam17.0° · 103 km
• Abbotsford British Columbia17.5° · 106 km
• Chilliwack17.8° · 131 km