Qibla direction in Facatativá

How to face the Qibla in Facatativá

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 25.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 65.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 25° off.

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 Facatativá, 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 Facatativá to Mecca points to 81.5° (east), a full 16.5° away from the true Qibla of 65.0° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 174 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Facatativá first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 65.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 4.8137° N, 74.3545° W 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 Facatativá to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 12,281 km from Facatativá as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,175 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Facatativá connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Facatativá 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 Facatativá rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Facatativá

On 161 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Facatativá 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 11:13 local time.

On 203 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 16:54.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Facatativá (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 Facatativá points straight to Mecca.

Facatativá compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Bogotá (65.1°), and Mecca is 18 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Funza (19 km), prays towards 65.1°, a difference of 0.1°.

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 Facatativá

• Funza65.1° · 19 km
• Soacha65.1° · 30 km
• Chía65.1° · 33 km
• Bogotá65.1° · 38 km
• Zipaquirá65.0° · 45 km
• Girardot City65.1° · 76 km