Qibla direction in Iquique

How to face the Qibla in Iquique

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 14.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 75.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 15° 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 Iquique, 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 Iquique to Mecca points to 68.8° (east), 6.3° away from the correct 75.1°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 19 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 75.1° is the direction in which the shortest route from 20.2133° S, 70.1503° 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 Iquique to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,802 km from Iquique as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,853 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 34 min, although most pilgrims from Iquique connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Iquique 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 Iquique rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Iquique

On 189 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Iquique 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 13:10 local time.

On 97 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 14:38.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Iquique (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 Iquique points straight to Mecca.

Iquique compared with other cities

Compared with Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile, 1,473 km away, the Qibla in Iquique is turned 6.7° further anticlockwise (75.1° against 81.8°), and Mecca is 345 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Arica (194 km), prays towards 74.3°, a difference of 0.7°.

Across the 24 cities in Chile on this site, the Qibla ranges from 74.3° in Arica to 92.9° in Punta Arenas, a spread of 18.6°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Chile.

Qibla in cities near Iquique

• Arica74.3° · 194 km
• Calama75.8° · 280 km
• Antofagasta76.8° · 383 km
• Copiapó78.6° · 796 km
• Coquimbo80.3° · 1,090 km
• Viña del Mar82.0° · 1,431 km