Qibla · Azuay
Qibla direction in Cuenca
To face the Kaaba in Cuenca, turn to 67.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-east (22.8° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 13,101 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Cuenca should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 67.2°, the Qibla of Cuenca. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 67° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Cuenca
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 22.8° towards north: the result is the bearing of 67.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 23° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Cuenca, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Cuenca to Mecca points to 78.2° (east), 11.0° away from the correct 67.2°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 115 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
How is the figure of 67.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Cuenca (2.8953° S, 78.9963° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Cuenca to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 13,101 km from Cuenca as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,025 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 55 min, although most pilgrims from Cuenca connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Cuenca 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 Cuenca rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Cuenca
On 165 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Cuenca 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 12:17 local time.
On 140 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 October (31 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 16:20.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 16:20 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 15:07 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 14:10 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 13:13 |
| 15 March 2027 | 12:17 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 11:08 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 10:12 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:07 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 08:09 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 06:53 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 07:20 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 08:35 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 09:29 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 10:29 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:16 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 12:09 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 12:58 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 14:03 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 15:04 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 16:24 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Cuenca (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 Cuenca points straight to Mecca.
Cuenca compared with other cities
Compared with Quito, 301 km away, the Qibla in Cuenca is turned 1.2° further clockwise (67.2° against 66.1°), and Mecca is 166 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Milagro (108 km), prays towards 66.8°, a difference of 0.5°.
Across the 16 cities in Ecuador on this site, the Qibla ranges from 65.3° in Esmeraldas to 67.8° in Loja, a spread of 2.5°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Ecuador.
Qibla in cities near Cuenca
Qibla in Cuenca: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Cuenca?
It is 67.2° from true north, which is north-east: 22.8° north of east.
How far is Cuenca from Mecca?
13,101 km in a straight line over the globe, and 13,025 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Cuenca?
On 165 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Cuenca not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 78.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Cuenca at 67.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 67.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.