Qibla direction in Rosetta

How to face the Qibla in Rosetta

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 42.4° towards east: the result is the bearing of 137.6°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Rosetta.

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 Rosetta, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Rosetta 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Rosetta to Mecca points to 139.9° (south-east), 2.3° away from the correct 137.6°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is not the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 137.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 31.3995° N, 30.4172° 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 Rosetta to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,451 km from Rosetta as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,186 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Rosetta travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Rosetta run 1 hour behind Mecca in winter and the same time as 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 Rosetta rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Rosetta

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Rosetta while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 09:10 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Rosetta during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Rosetta: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Rosetta compared with other cities

Compared with Cairo, 169 km away, the Qibla in Rosetta is turned 1.4° further clockwise (137.6° against 136.2°), and Mecca is 163 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Idkū (15 km), prays towards 137.0°, a difference of 0.7°.

Across the 55 cities in Egypt on this site, the Qibla ranges from 111.3° in Aswān to 149.5° in Arish, a spread of 38.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Egypt.

Qibla in cities near Rosetta

• Idkū137.0° · 15 km
• Disūq137.6° · 37 km
• Kafr ad Dawwār135.9° · 40 km
• Damanhur136.7° · 41 km
• Alexandria135.4° · 52 km
• Kafr ash Shaykh138.5° · 59 km