Qibla · Chocó
Qibla direction in Quibdó
To face the Kaaba in Quibdó, turn to 64.1° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-east (25.9° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 12,469 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Quibdó should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 64.1°, the Qibla of Quibdó. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 64° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Quibdó
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 25.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 64.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 26° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Quibdó, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Quibdó to Mecca points to 82.1° (east), a full 18.0° away from the true Qibla of 64.1° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 199 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Quibdó first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 64.1° obtained? From the coordinates of Quibdó (5.6919° N, 76.6584° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Quibdó to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 12,469 km from Quibdó as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,352 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 10 min, although most pilgrims from Quibdó connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Quibdó run 8 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Quibdó rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Quibdó
On 156 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Quibdó 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 11:31 local time.
On 208 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 January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 16:50.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 16:50 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 16:24 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 15:38 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 14:53 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 14:06 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 13:18 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 12:19 |
| 15 April 2027 | 11:31 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 10:38 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 09:55 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 09:13 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 08:54 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 09:01 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 09:30 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:17 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 10:57 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 11:46 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 12:25 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 13:09 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 13:50 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 14:42 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 15:27 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 16:17 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 16:47 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Quibdó (04:18 and 04:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 16:29 and 28 November 2027 at 16:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Quibdó points straight to Mecca.
Quibdó compared with other cities
Compared with Bogotá, 310 km away, the Qibla in Quibdó is turned 1.0° further anticlockwise (64.1° against 65.1°), and Mecca is 206 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Cartago (134 km), prays towards 64.6°, a difference of 0.5°.
Across the 45 cities in Colombia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 62.9° in Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia to 65.9° in Florencia, a spread of 3.0°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Colombia.
Qibla in cities near Quibdó
Qibla in Quibdó: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Quibdó?
It is 64.1° from true north, which is north-east: 25.9° north of east.
How far is Quibdó from Mecca?
12,469 km in a straight line over the globe, and 12,352 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Quibdó?
On 156 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 Quibdó not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 82.1°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Quibdó at 64.1°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 64.1° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.