Qibla · Shandong
Qibla direction in Zhoucun
To face the Kaaba in Zhoucun, turn to 281.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (11.0° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 7,566 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Zhoucun should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 281.0°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 281°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Zhoucun
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.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Zhoucun to Mecca points to 257.2° (west), a full 23.8° away from the true Qibla of 281.0° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 165 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Zhoucun first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 36.8167° N, 117.8167° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Zhoucun to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 7,566 km from Zhoucun as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 7,406 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 9 h 24 min, although most pilgrims from Zhoucun connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Zhoucun 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 Zhoucun rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Zhoucun
On 130 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Zhoucun 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 17:57 local time.
On 218 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 07:18.
| 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 | — | 07:18 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 07:47 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 08:10 |
| 1 May 2027 | 17:57 | 08:37 |
| 15 May 2027 | 17:34 | 08:59 |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:14 | 09:22 |
| 15 June 2027 | 17:08 | 09:33 |
| 1 July 2027 | 17:13 | 09:36 |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:26 | 09:27 |
| 1 August 2027 | 17:49 | 09:05 |
| 15 August 2027 | 18:11 | 08:40 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 08:04 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 07:32 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 06:55 |
| 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 Zhoucun: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Zhoucun compared with other cities
Compared with Beijing, 365 km away, the Qibla in Zhoucun is turned 2.1° further clockwise (281.0° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 181 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Zibo (22 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 Zhoucun
Qibla in Zhoucun: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Zhoucun?
It is 281.0° from true north, which is west: 11.0° north of west.
How far is Zhoucun from Mecca?
7,566 km in a straight line over the globe, and 7,406 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Zhoucun?
On 130 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 Zhoucun not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 257.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Zhoucun at 281.0°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 281.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.