Qibla direction in Cape Coast

How to face the Qibla in Cape Coast

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 26.2° towards north: the result is the bearing of 63.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 26° 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 Cape Coast, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Cape Coast 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 Cape Coast to Mecca points to 67.7° (east), 3.9° away from the correct 63.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 6 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 63.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 5.1054° N, 1.2466° 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 Cape Coast to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,780 km from Cape Coast as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,863 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 07 min, although most pilgrims from Cape Coast connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Cape Coast 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 Cape Coast rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Cape Coast

On 160 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Cape Coast 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 11:26 local time.

On 205 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 16:40.

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

Cape Coast compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Accra (63.8°), and Mecca is 126 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Takoradze (61 km), prays towards 63.8°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.

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 Cape Coast

• Takoradze63.8° · 61 km
• Twifu Praso64.4° · 66 km
• Amanfro63.9° · 105 km
• Achiaman64.0° · 121 km
• Accra63.8° · 127 km
• Obuasi65.0° · 131 km