Qibla direction in Heraklion

How to face the Qibla in Heraklion

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 43.3° towards south: the result is the bearing of 133.3°. 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 Heraklion.

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 Heraklion, 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 Heraklion to Mecca points to 137.2° (south-east), 3.9° away from the correct 133.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 1 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 133.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 35.3279° N, 25.1434° 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 Heraklion to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,105 km from Heraklion as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,841 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 59 min, although most pilgrims from Heraklion connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Heraklion run 1 hour behind Mecca in winter and the same time as 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 Heraklion rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Heraklion

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Heraklion 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 09:04 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Heraklion 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 Heraklion: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Heraklion compared with other cities

Compared with Athens, Attica, Greece, 321 km away, the Qibla in Heraklion is turned 2.1° further anticlockwise (133.3° against 135.5°), and Mecca is 297 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Athens, Attica, Greece (321 km), prays towards 135.5°, a difference of 2.1°.

Across the 5 cities in Greece on this site, the Qibla ranges from 132.1° in Pátrai to 138.2° in Thessaloniki, a spread of 6.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Greece.

Qibla in cities near Heraklion

• Athens, Attica, Greece135.5° · 321 km
• Pátrai132.1° · 444 km
• Larissa135.7° · 535 km
• Thessaloniki138.2° · 622 km