Qibla · Xinjiang
Qibla direction in Altay
To face the Kaaba in Altay, turn to 252.9° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (17.1° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 5,189 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Altay should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 252.9°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 253°; 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 Altay
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 17.1° towards south: the result is the bearing of 252.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 17° 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 Altay to Mecca points to 235.9° (south-west), a full 17.0° away from the true Qibla of 252.9° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 54 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Altay first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 47.8505° N, 88.1329° 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 Altay to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 5,189 km from Altay as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,963 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 36 min, although most pilgrims from Altay connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Altay run 3 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Altay rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Altay
On 230 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Altay while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 March 2027 it happens at 17:15 local time.
On 106 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 1 May 2027 at 05:26.
| 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 | 17:15 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 16:53 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 16:26 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 16:04 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 15:42 | 05:26 |
| 15 May 2027 | 15:27 | 05:40 |
| 1 June 2027 | 15:16 | 05:54 |
| 15 June 2027 | 15:13 | 06:02 |
| 1 July 2027 | 15:18 | 06:05 |
| 15 July 2027 | 15:26 | 06:00 |
| 1 August 2027 | 15:41 | 05:47 |
| 15 August 2027 | 15:54 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 16:09 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 16:22 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 16:38 | — |
| 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 Altay: at 15:18 and 15:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Altay compared with other cities
Compared with Beijing, 2,415 km away, the Qibla in Altay is turned 26.0° further anticlockwise (252.9° against 278.9°), and Mecca is 2,196 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Karamay (353 km), prays towards 252.0°, a difference of 0.9°.
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 Altay
Qibla in Altay: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Altay?
It is 252.9° from true north, which is west: 17.1° south of west.
How far is Altay from Mecca?
5,189 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,963 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Altay?
On 230 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 Altay not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 235.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Altay at 252.9°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 252.9° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.