Qibla · Chimborazo Province
Qibla direction in Riobamba
To face the Kaaba in Riobamba, turn to 66.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-east (23.3° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 13,013 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Riobamba should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 66.7°, the Qibla of Riobamba. 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 Riobamba
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 23.3° towards north: the result is the bearing of 66.7°. 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 Riobamba, 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 Riobamba to Mecca points to 78.7° (east), 12.0° away from the correct 66.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 127 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 66.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Riobamba (1.6651° S, 78.6589° 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 Riobamba to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 13,013 km from Riobamba as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,931 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 49 min, although most pilgrims from Riobamba connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Riobamba 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 Riobamba rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Riobamba
On 175 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Riobamba 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 1 April 2027 it happens at 11:20 local time.
On 161 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 17:19.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 17:19 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 16:21 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 15:13 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 14:18 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 13:22 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 12:27 |
| 1 April 2027 | 11:20 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 10:25 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:21 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 08:26 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 07:17 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 06:38 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 07:42 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 08:51 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 09:43 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 10:41 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 12:19 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 13:07 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 14:10 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 15:08 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 16:22 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 17:37 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Riobamba (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 Riobamba points straight to Mecca.
Riobamba compared with other cities
Compared with Quito, 160 km away, the Qibla in Riobamba is turned 0.6° further clockwise (66.7° against 66.1°), and Mecca is 78 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ambato (46 km), prays towards 66.5°, a difference of 0.2°.
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 Riobamba
Qibla in Riobamba: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Riobamba?
It is 66.7° from true north, which is north-east: 23.3° north of east.
How far is Riobamba from Mecca?
13,013 km in a straight line over the globe, and 12,931 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Riobamba?
On 175 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 Riobamba not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 78.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Riobamba at 66.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 66.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.