Qibla direction in Ya'an

How to face the Qibla in Ya'an

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 7.3° towards north: the result is the bearing of 277.3°. The direction is close to due west, which makes it easy to remember.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Ya'an, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Ya'an to Mecca points to 261.4° (west), a full 15.9° away from the true Qibla of 277.3° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 68 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ya'an first heads west, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 277.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 29.9852° N, 102.9990° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Ya'an to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 6,325 km from Ya'an as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,220 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 7 h 56 min, although most pilgrims from Ya'an connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Ya'an 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 Ya'an rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ya'an

On 142 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ya'an 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 18:58 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 07:59.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Ya'an: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Ya'an compared with other cities

Compared with Beijing, 1,642 km away, the Qibla in Ya'an is turned 1.6° further anticlockwise (277.3° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 1,060 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Meishan (81 km), prays towards 277.6°, a difference of 0.3°.

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 Ya'an

• Meishan277.6° · 81 km
• Leshan277.9° · 88 km
• Kangding276.8° · 100 km
• Chengdu277.3° · 127 km
• Ziyang277.9° · 159 km
• Deyang277.2° · 184 km