Qibla · Bali
Qibla direction in Klungkung
To face the Kaaba in Klungkung, turn to 293.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-west (23.7° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 8,886 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Klungkung should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 293.7°, the Qibla of Klungkung. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 294° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Klungkung
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 23.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 293.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 24° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Klungkung, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Klungkung to Mecca points to 292.0°, only 1.7° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 293.7° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 293.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Klungkung (8.5333° S, 115.4000° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Klungkung to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 8,886 km from Klungkung as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 8,987 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 10 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Klungkung connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Klungkung run 5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Klungkung rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Klungkung
On 200 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Klungkung 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 1 March 2027 it happens at 12:39 local time.
On 134 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 09:16.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 09:16 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 09:59 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 11:01 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 11:51 |
| 1 March 2027 | 12:39 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 13:23 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 14:16 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 14:59 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 15:50 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 16:37 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:30 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:29 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 16:36 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 15:47 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 14:46 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 13:55 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 12:56 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | — | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 11:05 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 10:17 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 09:29 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 09:02 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Klungkung: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Klungkung compared with other cities
Compared with Jakarta, 978 km away, the Qibla in Klungkung is turned 1.5° further anticlockwise (293.7° against 295.2°), and Mecca is 965 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Denpasar (24 km), prays towards 293.8°, a difference of 0.1°.
Across the 140 cities in Indonesia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 290.2° in Merauke to 295.5° in Pelabuhanratu, a spread of 5.3°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Indonesia.
Qibla in cities near Klungkung
Qibla in Klungkung: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Klungkung?
It is 293.7° from true north, which is north-west: 23.7° north of west.
How far is Klungkung from Mecca?
8,886 km in a straight line over the globe, and 8,987 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Klungkung?
On 200 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Indonesia?
No. It ranges from 290.2° to 295.5° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 293.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.