Qibla · Amhara
Qibla direction in Bahir Dar
To face the Kaaba in Bahir Dar, turn to 13.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (13.0° east of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 1,123 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Bahir Dar should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 13.0°, the Qibla of Bahir Dar. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 13° 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 Bahir Dar
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 13.0° towards east: the result is the bearing of 13.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 13° 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 Bahir Dar, 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
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Bahir Dar to Mecca points to 13.3°, only 0.3° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 13.0° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 13.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Bahir Dar (11.5936° N, 37.3908° E) 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 Bahir Dar to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 1,123 km from Bahir Dar as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,450 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Bahir Dar travel to the Hijaz by road.
Clocks in Bahir Dar run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Bahir Dar rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Bahir Dar
On 124 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Bahir Dar 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 12:24 local time.
On 240 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 13:07.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 13:07 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 13:10 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 13:11 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 13:07 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 13:00 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 12:52 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 12:41 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 12:32 |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:31 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:33 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 12:34 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 12:34 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 12:34 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 12:35 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:38 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 12:43 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 12:51 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 12:58 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Bahir Dar: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Bahir Dar compared with other cities
Compared with Addis Ababa, 322 km away, the Qibla in Bahir Dar is turned 8.4° further clockwise (13.0° against 4.7°), and Mecca is 260 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Debre Tabor (74 km), prays towards 10.0°, a difference of 3.0°.
Across the 28 cities in Ethiopia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 1.0° in Dessie to 350.8° in Dire Dawa, a spread of 349.8°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Ethiopia.
Qibla in cities near Bahir Dar
- Debre Tabor10.0° · 74 km
- Gonder14.0° · 112 km
- Debre Mark’os10.0° · 143 km
- Weldiya1.3° · 241 km
- Dessie1.0° · 250 km
- Nek’emtē14.0° · 294 km
Qibla in Bahir Dar: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Bahir Dar?
It is 13.0° from true north, which is north: 13.0° east of north.
How far is Bahir Dar from Mecca?
1,123 km in a straight line over the globe, and 1,450 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Bahir Dar?
On 124 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.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Ethiopia?
No. It ranges from 1.0° to 350.8° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 13.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.