Qibla · Shanxi
Qibla direction in Yuncheng
To face the Kaaba in Yuncheng, turn to 278.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (8.2° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 6,993 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Yuncheng should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 278.2°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 278°; 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 Yuncheng
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 8.2° towards north: the result is the bearing of 278.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 8° 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 Yuncheng to Mecca points to 257.7° (west), a full 20.5° away from the true Qibla of 278.2° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 116 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Yuncheng first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 35.0231° N, 110.9928° 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 Yuncheng to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 6,993 km from Yuncheng as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,849 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 44 min, although most pilgrims from Yuncheng connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Yuncheng 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 Yuncheng rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Yuncheng
On 142 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Yuncheng 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 18:37 local time.
On 209 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 07:29.
| 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 | — | 07:29 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 08:01 |
| 15 April 2027 | 18:37 | 08:27 |
| 1 May 2027 | 18:02 | 08:56 |
| 15 May 2027 | 17:36 | 09:21 |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:14 | 09:46 |
| 15 June 2027 | 17:06 | 09:59 |
| 1 July 2027 | 17:11 | 10:01 |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:26 | 09:51 |
| 1 August 2027 | 17:52 | 09:26 |
| 15 August 2027 | 18:16 | 08:59 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 08:20 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 07:45 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 07:06 |
| 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 Yuncheng: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Yuncheng compared with other cities
Compared with Beijing, 723 km away, the Qibla in Yuncheng is turned 0.7° further anticlockwise (278.2° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 392 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Sanmenxia (33 km), prays towards 278.4°, a difference of 0.2°.
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 Yuncheng
Qibla in Yuncheng: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Yuncheng?
It is 278.2° from true north, which is west: 8.2° north of west.
How far is Yuncheng from Mecca?
6,993 km in a straight line over the globe, and 6,849 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Yuncheng?
On 142 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 Yuncheng not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 257.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Yuncheng at 278.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 278.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.