Qibla direction in Larissa

How to face the Qibla in Larissa

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 44.3° towards east: the result is the bearing of 135.7°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Larissa.

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 Larissa, 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 Larissa to Mecca points to 140.7° (south-east), 5.0° away from the correct 135.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 3 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 135.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 39.6285° N, 22.4211° 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 Larissa to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,612 km from Larissa as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,330 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 34 min, although most pilgrims from Larissa connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Larissa 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 Larissa rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Larissa

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Larissa 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 09:23 local time.

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

Larissa compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Athens, Attica, Greece (135.5°), and Mecca is 210 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Thessaloniki (121 km), prays towards 138.2°, a difference of 2.6°.

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 Larissa

• Thessaloniki138.2° · 121 km
• Pátrai132.1° · 165 km
• Athens, Attica, Greece135.5° · 215 km
• Heraklion133.3° · 535 km