Qibla direction in Erfurt

How to face the Qibla in Erfurt

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 42.0° towards south: the result is the bearing of 132.0°. 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 Erfurt.

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 Erfurt, 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Erfurt to Mecca points to 142.5° (south-east), 10.5° away from the correct 132.0°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 16 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 132.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 50.9773° N, 11.0354° 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 Erfurt to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,127 km from Erfurt as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,826 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 21 min, although most pilgrims from Erfurt connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Erfurt 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 Erfurt rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Erfurt

On 327 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Erfurt 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 January 2027 it happens at 08:55 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Erfurt 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 Erfurt: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Erfurt compared with other cities

Compared with Berlin, 237 km away, the Qibla in Erfurt is turned 4.7° further anticlockwise (132.0° against 136.7°), and Mecca is 3 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Jena (39 km), prays towards 132.7°, a difference of 0.7°.

Across the 63 cities in Germany on this site, the Qibla ranges from 124.8° in Freiburg im Breisgau to 136.7° in Berlin, a spread of 11.9°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Germany.

Qibla in cities near Erfurt

• Jena132.7° · 39 km
• Gera133.3° · 74 km
• Halle133.8° · 86 km
• Göttingen131.1° · 99 km
• Leipzig134.2° · 101 km
• Kassel130.3° · 114 km