Qibla direction in Kumasi

How to face the Qibla in Kumasi

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 24.6° towards north: the result is the bearing of 65.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 25° off.

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 Kumasi, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Kumasi 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 Kumasi to Mecca points to 69.8° (east), 4.4° away from the correct 65.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 7 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 65.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 6.6885° N, 1.6244° W 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 Kumasi to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,742 km from Kumasi as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,812 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 05 min, although most pilgrims from Kumasi connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Kumasi 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 Kumasi rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Kumasi

On 152 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Kumasi 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 15 April 2027 it happens at 11:39 local time.

On 213 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 17:20.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Kumasi: at 09:18 and 09:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Kumasi compared with other cities

Compared with Accra, 202 km away, the Qibla in Kumasi is turned 1.6° further clockwise (65.4° against 63.8°), and Mecca is 89 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Obuasi (54 km), prays towards 65.0°, a difference of 0.5°.

Across the 12 cities in Ghana on this site, the Qibla ranges from 63.8° in Takoradze to 68.0° in Tamale, a spread of 4.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Ghana.

Qibla in cities near Kumasi

• Obuasi65.0° · 54 km
• Twifu Praso64.4° · 120 km
• Koforidua64.4° · 165 km
• Achiaman64.0° · 181 km
• Cape Coast63.8° · 181 km
• Amanfro63.9° · 187 km