Qibla direction in San Francisco de Macorís

How to face the Qibla in San Francisco de Macorís

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 27.3° towards north: the result is the bearing of 62.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 27° 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 San Francisco de Macorís, 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 San Francisco de Macorís to Mecca points to 88.8° (east), a full 26.1° away from the true Qibla of 62.7° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 310 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from San Francisco de Macorís first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 62.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 19.2938° N, 70.2529° 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 San Francisco de Macorís to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,167 km from San Francisco de Macorís as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 10,999 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 13 h 38 min, although most pilgrims from San Francisco de Macorís connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in San Francisco de Macorís run 7 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of San Francisco de Macorís rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in San Francisco de Macorís

On 71 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of San Francisco de Macorís 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 12:15 local time.

On 294 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 17:39.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in San Francisco de Macorís (05:18 and 05:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 17:29 and 28 November 2027 at 17:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in San Francisco de Macorís points straight to Mecca.

San Francisco de Macorís compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Santo Domingo (63.0°), and Mecca is 8 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Concepción de la Vega (30 km), prays towards 62.6°, a difference of 0.1°.

Across the 10 cities in the Dominican Republic on this site, the Qibla ranges from 62.5° in Puerto Plata to 63.6° in Punta Cana, a spread of 1.1°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Dominican Republic.

Qibla in cities near San Francisco de Macorís

• Concepción de la Vega62.6° · 30 km
• Santiago de los Caballeros62.5° · 49 km
• Puerto Plata62.5° · 72 km
• San Cristobal63.0° · 99 km
• Santo Domingo63.0° · 99 km
• San Pedro de Macorís63.3° · 136 km