Qibla direction in Laohekou

How to face the Qibla in Laohekou

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 9.8° towards north: the result is the bearing of 279.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 10° 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 Laohekou, 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 Laohekou to Mecca points to 260.3° (west), a full 19.5° away from the true Qibla of 279.8° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 111 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Laohekou first heads west, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 279.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 32.3858° N, 111.6678° E 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 Laohekou to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 7,101 km from Laohekou as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,972 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 51 min, although most pilgrims from Laohekou connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Laohekou run 5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Laohekou rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Laohekou

On 132 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Laohekou 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 18:07 local time.

On 220 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 May (31 days), for instance on 15 March 2027 at 07:40.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Laohekou: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Laohekou compared with other cities

Compared with Beijing, 938 km away, the Qibla in Laohekou is turned 0.9° further clockwise (279.8° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 284 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Dengzhou (51 km), prays towards 279.9°, a difference of 0.1°.

Across the 612 cities in China on this site, the Qibla ranges from 249.0° in Tacheng to 286.5° in Suifenhe, a spread of 37.5°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for China.

Qibla in cities near Laohekou

• Dengzhou279.9° · 51 km
• Xiangyang280.2° · 59 km
• Shiyan279.3° · 88 km
• Zhenping279.8° · 89 km
• Zaoyang280.4° · 106 km
• Nanyang279.9° · 107 km