Qibla direction in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France

How to face the Qibla in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 27.7° towards south: the result is the bearing of 117.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 28° off.

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 Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France 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 Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France to Mecca points to 130.8° (south-east), 13.2° away from the correct 117.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 28 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.

The value of 117.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 47.9025° N, 1.9041° 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 Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,475 km from Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,204 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 46 min, although most pilgrims from Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France run 2 hours behind Mecca in winter and 1 hour behind 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 Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France

On 267 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France 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 15 February 2027 it happens at 08:49 local time.

On 53 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 June (30 days), for instance on 1 June 2027 at 21:02.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France compared with other cities

Compared with Paris, 111 km away, the Qibla in Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France is turned 1.5° further anticlockwise (117.7° against 119.2°), and Mecca is 21 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (97 km), prays towards 118.7°, a difference of 1.0°.

Across the 37 cities in France on this site, the Qibla ranges from 111.4° in Brest, Brittany Region, France to 125.3° in Strasbourg, a spread of 13.8°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for France.

Qibla in cities near Orléans, Centre-Val de Loire, France

• Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines118.7° · 97 km
• Tours115.8° · 106 km
• Paris119.2° · 111 km
• Marne La Vallée119.5° · 117 km
• Cergy-Pontoise119.0° · 127 km
• Le Mans115.9° · 127 km