Qibla · Tigray
Qibla direction in Mek'ele
To face the Kaaba in Mek'ele, turn to 2.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (2.4° east of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 882 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Mek'ele should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 2.4°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 2°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Mek'ele
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 2.4° towards east: the result is the bearing of 2.4°. The direction is close to due north, which makes it easy to remember.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Mek'ele to Mecca points to 2.4°, only 0.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 2.4° bearing remains the exact one.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 13.4967° N, 39.4753° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Mek'ele to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 882 km from Mek'ele as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,220 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Mek'ele travel to the Hijaz by road.
Clocks in Mek'ele 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 Mek'ele rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mek'ele
On 112 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mek'ele 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 12:19 local time.
On 251 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 12:32.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 12:32 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 12:37 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 12:41 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 12:40 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 12:38 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 12:34 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 12:28 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 12:23 |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:21 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:28 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 12:23 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 12:19 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 12:15 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 12:12 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:10 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 12:12 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 12:17 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 12:23 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Mek'ele: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Mek'ele compared with other cities
Compared with Addis Ababa, 504 km away, the Qibla in Mek'ele is turned 2.3° further anticlockwise (2.4° against 4.7°), and Mecca is 501 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ādīgrat (87 km), prays towards 2.7°, a difference of 0.4°.
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 Mek'ele
- Ādīgrat2.7° · 87 km
- Inda Silasē11.1° · 145 km
- Weldiya1.3° · 186 km
- Gonder14.0° · 239 km
- Debre Tabor10.0° · 242 km
- Dessie1.0° · 263 km
Qibla in Mek'ele: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Mek'ele?
It is 2.4° from true north, which is north: 2.4° east of north.
How far is Mek'ele from Mecca?
882 km in a straight line over the globe, and 1,220 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Mek'ele?
On 112 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 2.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.