Qibla · Arica y Parinacota Region
Qibla direction in Arica
To face the Kaaba in Arica, turn to 74.3° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (15.7° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 12,766 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Arica should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 74.3°, the Qibla of Arica. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 74° 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 Arica
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 15.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 74.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 16° 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 Arica, 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Arica to Mecca points to 69.7° (east), 4.7° away from the correct 74.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 20 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.
How is the figure of 74.3° obtained? From the coordinates of Arica (18.4755° S, 70.3006° 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 Arica to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 12,766 km from Arica as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,806 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 31 min, although most pilgrims from Arica connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Arica run 6 hours behind Mecca in winter and 7 hours behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Arica rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Arica
On 181 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Arica 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 February 2027 it happens at 13:34 local time.
On 91 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 15:18.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 15:18 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 14:35 |
| 1 February 2027 | 13:34 | 19:48 |
| 15 February 2027 | 12:42 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 11:48 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 10:55 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:50 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 07:56 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | — | — |
| 15 May 2027 | — | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | — | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 08:11 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:56 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 10:46 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:32 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 12:32 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 18:56 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 14:32 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 15:21 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Arica (05:18 and 05:27 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 Arica points straight to Mecca.
Arica compared with other cities
Compared with Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile, 1,666 km away, the Qibla in Arica is turned 7.5° further anticlockwise (74.3° against 81.8°), and Mecca is 381 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Iquique (194 km), prays towards 75.1°, a difference of 0.7°.
Among the 24 cities in Chile on this site, Arica has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 92.9° in Punta Arenas. Across the country the direction varies by 18.6°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Chile.
Qibla in cities near Arica
- Iquique75.1° · 194 km
- Calama75.8° · 465 km
- Antofagasta76.8° · 576 km
- Copiapó78.6° · 989 km
- Coquimbo80.3° · 1,281 km
- Viña del Mar82.0° · 1,623 km
Qibla in Arica: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Arica?
It is 74.3° from true north, which is east: 15.7° north of east.
How far is Arica from Mecca?
12,766 km in a straight line over the globe, and 12,806 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Arica?
On 181 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.
Why is the Qibla in Arica not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 69.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Arica at 74.3°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 74.3° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.