Qibla · Kerguelen
Qibla direction in Port-aux-Français
To face the Kaaba in Port-aux-Français, turn to 330.9° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-west (29.1° west of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 8,424 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Port-aux-Français should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 330.9°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 331°; 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 Port-aux-Français
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 29.1° towards west: the result is the bearing of 330.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 29° off.
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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Port-aux-Français to Mecca points to 338.9° (north), 8.0° away from the correct 330.9°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 10 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 angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 49.3492° S, 70.2194° 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 Port-aux-Français to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 8,424 km from Port-aux-Français as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 8,750 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 10 h 25 min, although most pilgrims from Port-aux-Français connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Port-aux-Français run 2 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Port-aux-Français rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Port-aux-Français
On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Port-aux-Français while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 13:21 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Port-aux-Français during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | 13:21 | — |
| 15 January 2027 | 13:30 | — |
| 1 February 2027 | 13:41 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 13:47 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 13:53 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 13:57 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 14:01 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 14:04 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 14:08 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 14:13 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 14:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 14:24 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 14:27 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 14:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 14:22 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 14:14 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 14:02 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 13:50 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 13:36 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 13:25 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 13:15 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 13:10 | — |
| 1 December 2027 | 13:09 | — |
| 15 December 2027 | 13:13 | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Port-aux-Français: at 14:18 and 14:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Port-aux-Français compared with other cities
See all cities on the Qibla page for French Southern Territories.
Qibla in Port-aux-Français: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Port-aux-Français?
It is 330.9° from true north, which is north-west: 29.1° west of north.
How far is Port-aux-Français from Mecca?
8,424 km in a straight line over the globe, and 8,750 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Port-aux-Français?
On 365 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 Port-aux-Français not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 338.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Port-aux-Français at 330.9°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 330.9° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.