Qibla direction in Gandajika

How to face the Qibla in Gandajika

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 28.6° towards east: the result is the bearing of 28.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 29° 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 Gandajika, 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Gandajika to Mecca points to 28.9°, only 0.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 28.6° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 28.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 6.7450° S, 23.9533° E 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 Gandajika to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,579 km from Gandajika as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,863 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 43 min, although most pilgrims from Gandajika connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Gandajika run 1 hour behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Gandajika rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Gandajika

On 221 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Gandajika 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 March 2027 it happens at 12:23 local time.

On 144 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 13:06.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Gandajika: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Gandajika compared with other cities

Compared with Kinshasa, 993 km away, the Qibla in Gandajika is turned 13.5° further anticlockwise (28.6° against 42.1°), and Mecca is 336 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mwene-Ditu (63 km), prays towards 29.1°, a difference of 0.5°.

Across the 37 cities in the DR Congo on this site, the Qibla ranges from 20.2° in Lubumbashi to 45.4° in Gemena, a spread of 25.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for DR Congo.

Qibla in cities near Gandajika

• Mwene-Ditu29.1° · 63 km
• Mbuji-Mayi29.6° · 79 km
• Kabinda28.2° · 89 km
• Kananga31.5° · 194 km
• Kamina25.6° · 249 km
• Bukama24.0° · 344 km