Qibla direction in Jishou

How to face the Qibla in Jishou

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 11.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 281.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 11° 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 Jishou, 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 Jishou to Mecca points to 263.8° (west), a full 17.2° away from the true Qibla of 281.0° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 88 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Jishou first heads west, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 281.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 28.3193° N, 109.7335° 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 Jishou to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 7,000 km from Jishou as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,898 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 44 min, although most pilgrims from Jishou connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Jishou 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 Jishou rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Jishou

On 126 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Jishou 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 18:17 local time.

On 229 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 March 2027 at 07:28.

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

Jishou compared with other cities

Compared with Beijing, 1,426 km away, the Qibla in Jishou is turned 2.1° further clockwise (281.0° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 385 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Fenghuang (45 km), prays towards 281.1°, 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 Jishou

• Fenghuang281.1° · 45 km
• Zhonghe280.6° · 74 km
• Huaihua281.5° · 88 km
• Zhangjiajie280.9° · 116 km
• Hongjiang281.7° · 137 km
• Qianjiang, Chongqing Municipality, China280.0° · 164 km