Qibla direction in Ciego de Ávila

How to face the Qibla in Ciego de Ávila

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 31.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 58.3°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Ciego de Ávila.

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 Ciego de Ávila, 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 Ciego de Ávila to Mecca points to 90.2° (east), a full 31.9° away from the true Qibla of 58.3° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 458 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ciego de Ávila first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 58.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 21.8422° N, 78.7603° 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 Ciego de Ávila to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,799 km from Ciego de Ávila as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,600 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 23 min, although most pilgrims from Ciego de Ávila connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Ciego de Ávila run 8 hours behind Mecca in winter and 7 hours behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Ciego de Ávila rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ciego de Ávila

On 43 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ciego de Ávila while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in June (30 days); for example, on 1 June 2027 it happens at 13:11 local time.

On 320 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 16:35.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ciego de Ávila (05:18 and 05:27 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 Ciego de Ávila points straight to Mecca.

Ciego de Ávila compared with other cities

Compared with Havana, 399 km away, the Qibla in Ciego de Ávila is turned 2.3° further clockwise (58.3° against 56.0°), and Mecca is 235 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Sancti Spíritus (71 km), prays towards 57.9°, a difference of 0.4°.

Across the 15 cities in Cuba on this site, the Qibla ranges from 55.5° in Pinar del Río to 60.4° in Guantánamo, a spread of 4.9°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Cuba.

Qibla in cities near Ciego de Ávila

• Sancti Spíritus57.9° · 71 km
• Camagüey58.8° · 101 km
• Santa Clara57.5° · 139 km
• Cienfuegos57.3° · 177 km
• Las Tunas59.4° · 211 km
• Manzanillo, Granma Province, Cuba59.5° · 238 km