Qibla · City of Banjul
Qibla direction in Banjul
To face the Kaaba in Banjul, turn to 73.1° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (16.9° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 6,019 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Banjul should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 73.1°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 73°; 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 Banjul
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 16.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 73.1°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 17° 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. The simplest check in Banjul is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Banjul. 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 Banjul to Mecca points to 81.6° (east), 8.5° away from the correct 73.1°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 24 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 13.4527° N, 16.5780° W 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 Banjul to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 6,019 km from Banjul as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 5,995 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 7 h 35 min, although most pilgrims from Banjul connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Banjul run 3 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Banjul rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Banjul
On 65 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Banjul while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (28 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 12:40 local time.
On 157 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 March (31 days), for instance on 15 February 2027 at 18:08.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 18:08 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 17:07 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 16:06 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 14:53 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 13:52 |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:40 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 07:33 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 07:26 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 13:03 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 14:10 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 15:01 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 15:59 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 16:53 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 18:05 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 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 moments are in daylight in Banjul: at 09:18 and 09:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Banjul compared with other cities
See all cities on the Qibla page for Gambia.
Qibla in Banjul: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Banjul?
It is 73.1° from true north, which is east: 16.9° north of east.
How far is Banjul from Mecca?
6,019 km in a straight line over the globe, and 5,995 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Banjul?
On 65 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 Banjul not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 81.6°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Banjul at 73.1°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 73.1° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.