Qibla · Inner Mongolia
Qibla direction in Ulanqab
To face the Kaaba in Ulanqab, turn to 276.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (6.4° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 7,095 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ulanqab should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 276.4°, the Qibla of Ulanqab. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 276° 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 Ulanqab
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 6.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 276.4°. The direction is close to due west, which makes it easy to remember.
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 Ulanqab, 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
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Ulanqab to Mecca points to 252.5° (west), a full 23.9° away from the true Qibla of 276.4° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 152 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ulanqab first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 276.4° obtained? From the coordinates of Ulanqab (40.9930° N, 113.1330° E) 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 Ulanqab to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 7,095 km from Ulanqab as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,915 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 51 min, although most pilgrims from Ulanqab connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Ulanqab 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 Ulanqab rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ulanqab
On 150 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ulanqab 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 15 April 2027 it happens at 18:21 local time.
On 198 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 1 April 2027 at 07:30.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | — | — |
| 15 March 2027 | — | — |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 07:30 |
| 15 April 2027 | 18:21 | 07:51 |
| 1 May 2027 | 17:52 | 08:14 |
| 15 May 2027 | 17:32 | 08:33 |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:15 | 08:53 |
| 15 June 2027 | 17:10 | 09:04 |
| 1 July 2027 | 17:14 | 09:06 |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:26 | 08:59 |
| 1 August 2027 | 17:46 | 08:40 |
| 15 August 2027 | 18:05 | 08:18 |
| 1 September 2027 | 18:28 | 07:45 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 07:16 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | — |
| 15 October 2027 | — | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Ulanqab: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Ulanqab compared with other cities
Compared with Beijing, 301 km away, the Qibla in Ulanqab is turned 2.5° further anticlockwise (276.4° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 290 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Datong (101 km), prays towards 276.9°, a difference of 0.5°.
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 Ulanqab
Qibla in Ulanqab: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ulanqab?
It is 276.4° from true north, which is west: 6.4° north of west.
How far is Ulanqab from Mecca?
7,095 km in a straight line over the globe, and 6,915 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ulanqab?
On 150 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 Ulanqab not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 252.5°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Ulanqab at 276.4°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 276.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.