Qibla · Sichuan
Qibla direction in Xichang
To face the Kaaba in Xichang, turn to 278.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (8.4° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 6,285 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Xichang should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 278.4°. 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 Xichang
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 8.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 278.4°. 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Xichang to Mecca points to 263.5° (west), 14.9° away from the correct 278.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 61 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 27.8964° N, 102.2634° 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 Xichang to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 6,285 km from Xichang as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,195 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 7 h 54 min, although most pilgrims from Xichang connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Xichang 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 Xichang rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Xichang
On 136 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Xichang 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 19:08 local time.
On 213 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 08:13.
| 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 | — | 08:13 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 08:57 |
| 15 April 2027 | 19:08 | 09:32 |
| 1 May 2027 | 18:22 | 10:13 |
| 15 May 2027 | 17:45 | 10:48 |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:11 | 11:26 |
| 15 June 2027 | 16:57 | 11:45 |
| 1 July 2027 | 17:03 | 11:46 |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:25 | 11:28 |
| 1 August 2027 | 18:04 | 10:51 |
| 15 August 2027 | 18:38 | 10:13 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 09:23 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 08:39 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 07:49 |
| 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 Xichang: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Xichang compared with other cities
Compared with Beijing, 1,862 km away, the Qibla in Xichang is turned 0.5° further anticlockwise (278.4° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 1,099 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Panzhihua (156 km), prays towards 279.0°, a difference of 0.7°.
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 Xichang
Qibla in Xichang: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Xichang?
It is 278.4° from true north, which is west: 8.4° north of west.
How far is Xichang from Mecca?
6,285 km in a straight line over the globe, and 6,195 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Xichang?
On 136 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 Xichang not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 263.5°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Xichang at 278.4°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 278.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.