Qibla direction in Holguín

How to face the Qibla in Holguín

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 30.2° towards north: the result is the bearing of 59.8°. 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 Holguín.

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 Holguín, 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 Holguín to Mecca points to 89.7° (east), a full 29.9° away from the true Qibla of 59.8° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 406 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Holguín first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 59.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 20.8872° N, 76.2631° 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 Holguín to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,632 km from Holguín as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,443 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 11 min, although most pilgrims from Holguín connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Holguín 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 Holguín rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Holguín

On 55 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Holguín 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 12:54 local time.

On 309 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 16:36.

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

Holguín compared with other cities

Compared with Havana, 678 km away, the Qibla in Holguín is turned 3.7° further clockwise (59.8° against 56.0°), and Mecca is 402 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Bayamo (69 km), prays towards 59.7°, a difference of 0.1°.

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 Holguín

• Bayamo59.7° · 69 km
• Las Tunas59.4° · 72 km
• Palma Soriano60.0° · 80 km
• Santiago de Cuba60.2° · 107 km
• Manzanillo, Granma Province, Cuba59.5° · 108 km
• Guantánamo60.4° · 137 km