Qibla direction in Kutaisi

How to face the Qibla in Kutaisi

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 7.5° towards west: the result is the bearing of 187.5°. The direction is close to due south, which makes it easy to remember.

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 Kutaisi, 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 Kutaisi to Mecca points to 186.6°, only 0.9° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 187.5° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 187.5° is the direction in which the shortest route from 42.2679° N, 42.6946° 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 Kutaisi to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,333 km from Kutaisi as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,000 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 15 min, although most pilgrims from Kutaisi connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Kutaisi run 1 hour ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Kutaisi rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Kutaisi

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Kutaisi 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 13:42 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Kutaisi during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Kutaisi: at 13:18 and 13:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Kutaisi compared with other cities

Compared with Tbilisi, 188 km away, the Qibla in Kutaisi is turned 5.8° further anticlockwise (187.5° against 193.3°), and Mecca is 31 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Batumi (112 km), prays towards 184.9°, a difference of 2.6°.

Across the 4 cities in Georgia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 184.9° in Batumi to 193.7° in Rustavi, a spread of 8.9°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Georgia.

Qibla in cities near Kutaisi

• Batumi184.9° · 112 km
• Tbilisi193.3° · 188 km
• Rustavi193.7° · 205 km