Qibla direction in Franceville

How to face the Qibla in Franceville

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 43.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 46.6°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Franceville.

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 Franceville, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Franceville to Mecca points to 48.1°, only 1.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 46.6° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 46.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 1.6333° S, 13.5836° 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 Franceville to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,835 km from Franceville as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,038 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 01 min, although most pilgrims from Franceville connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Franceville run 2 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Franceville rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Franceville

On 194 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Franceville 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 April 2027 it happens at 11:43 local time.

On 170 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 13:49.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Franceville: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Franceville compared with other cities

Compared with Libreville, 511 km away, the Qibla in Franceville is turned 6.0° further anticlockwise (46.6° against 52.6°), and Mecca is 204 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Libreville (511 km), prays towards 52.6°, a difference of 6.0°.

Among the 3 cities in Gabon on this site, Franceville has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 52.6° in Libreville. Across the country the direction varies by 6.0°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Gabon.

Qibla in cities near Franceville

• Libreville52.6° · 511 km
• Port-Gentil52.0° · 543 km