Qibla direction in San Miguel

How to face the Qibla in San Miguel

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 33.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 56.3°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in San Miguel.

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 Miguel, 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 Miguel to Mecca points to 86.3° (east), a full 30.0° away from the true Qibla of 56.3° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 453 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from San Miguel first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 56.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 13.4826° N, 88.1821° 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 Miguel to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,141 km from San Miguel as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,952 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 58 min, although most pilgrims from San Miguel connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in San Miguel run 9 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of San Miguel rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in San Miguel

On 112 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of San Miguel 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 May 2027 it happens at 11:39 local time.

On 252 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 15:36.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in San Miguel (03:18 and 03:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 15:29 and 28 November 2027 at 15:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in San Miguel points straight to Mecca.

San Miguel compared with other cities

Compared with San Salvador, 111 km away, the Qibla in San Miguel is turned 0.6° further clockwise (56.3° against 55.7°), and Mecca is 77 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, San Salvador (111 km), prays towards 55.7°, a difference of 0.6°.

Among the 3 cities in El Salvador on this site, San Miguel has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 55.4° in Santa Ana. Across the country the direction varies by 1.0°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for El Salvador.

Qibla in cities near San Miguel

• San Salvador55.7° · 111 km
• Santa Ana55.4° · 159 km