Qibla · Jilin
Qibla direction in Jiaohe
To face the Kaaba in Jiaohe, turn to 284.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (14.2° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 8,188 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Jiaohe should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 284.2°, the Qibla of Jiaohe. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 284° 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 Jiaohe
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 14.2° towards north: the result is the bearing of 284.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 14° 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 Jiaohe, 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 Jiaohe to Mecca points to 253.0° (west), a full 31.2° away from the true Qibla of 284.2° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 288 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Jiaohe first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 284.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Jiaohe (43.7213° N, 127.3347° 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 Jiaohe to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 8,188 km from Jiaohe as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 7,983 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 10 h 08 min, although most pilgrims from Jiaohe connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Jiaohe 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 Jiaohe rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Jiaohe
On 118 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Jiaohe 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 17:47 local time.
On 228 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 06:33.
| 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 | — | 06:33 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 06:51 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 07:13 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 07:30 |
| 1 May 2027 | 17:47 | 07:49 |
| 15 May 2027 | 17:29 | 08:06 |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:15 | 08:22 |
| 15 June 2027 | 17:12 | 08:32 |
| 1 July 2027 | 17:16 | 08:34 |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:26 | 08:29 |
| 1 August 2027 | 17:43 | 08:13 |
| 15 August 2027 | 17:59 | 07:53 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 07:25 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 06:59 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 06:29 |
| 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 Jiaohe: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Jiaohe compared with other cities
Compared with Beijing, 1,000 km away, the Qibla in Jiaohe is turned 5.4° further clockwise (284.2° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 804 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Jilin City (64 km), prays towards 283.7°, 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 Jiaohe
- Jilin City283.7° · 64 km
- Jishu283.7° · 79 km
- Dunhua284.9° · 82 km
- Huadian284.1° · 96 km
- Jiutai283.1° · 130 km
- Yushu, Jilin, China283.4° · 138 km
Qibla in Jiaohe: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Jiaohe?
It is 284.2° from true north, which is west: 14.2° north of west.
How far is Jiaohe from Mecca?
8,188 km in a straight line over the globe, and 7,983 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Jiaohe?
On 118 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 Jiaohe not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 253.0°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Jiaohe at 284.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 284.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.