Qibla · Central
Qibla direction in Suva
To face the Kaaba in Suva, turn to 281.9° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (11.9° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 15,680 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Suva should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 281.9°, the Qibla of Suva. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 282° 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 Suva
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 11.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 281.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 12° 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 Suva, 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 Suva to Mecca points to 286.2° (west), 4.3° away from the correct 281.9°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 44 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 281.9° obtained? From the coordinates of Suva (18.1368° S, 178.4253° 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 Suva to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 15,680 km from Suva as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 15,706 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 18 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Suva connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Suva run 9 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Suva rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Suva
On 156 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Suva while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 February 2027 it happens at 12:37 local time.
On 70 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 November (30 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 09:15.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 09:15 |
| 1 February 2027 | 12:37 | 07:31 |
| 15 February 2027 | 13:44 | 06:26 |
| 1 March 2027 | 14:42 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 15:36 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 16:39 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 17:32 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | — | — |
| 15 May 2027 | — | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | — | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 17:17 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 16:17 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 15:09 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 14:08 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 12:53 | 06:13 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 07:21 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Suva (21:18 and 21:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 14 January 2027 at 09:29 and 29 November 2027 at 09:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Suva points straight to Mecca.
Suva compared with other cities
See all cities on the Qibla page for Fiji.
Qibla in Suva: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Suva?
It is 281.9° from true north, which is west: 11.9° north of west.
How far is Suva from Mecca?
15,680 km in a straight line over the globe, and 15,706 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Suva?
On 156 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 Suva not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 286.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Suva at 281.9°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 281.9° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.