Qibla · Sistan and Baluchestan
Qibla direction in Zabol
To face the Kaaba in Zabol, turn to 248.8° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (21.2° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 2,405 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Zabol should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 248.8°, the Qibla of Zabol. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 249° 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 Zabol
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 21.2° towards south: the result is the bearing of 248.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 21° 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 Zabol, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Zabol is a handy reference, because the 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Zabol to Mecca points to 243.7° (south-west), 5.2° away from the correct 248.8°. 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.
How is the figure of 248.8° obtained? From the coordinates of Zabol (31.0306° N, 61.4949° 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 Zabol to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 2,405 km from Zabol as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,269 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 20 min, although most pilgrims from Zabol connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Zabol run 0.5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Zabol rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Zabol
On 277 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Zabol 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 15 February 2027 it happens at 16:20 local time.
On 64 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 June (30 days), for instance on 1 June 2027 at 05:04.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 16:20 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 15:49 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 15:17 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 14:36 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 14:04 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 13:30 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 13:05 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:44 | 05:04 |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:37 | 05:16 |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:42 | 05:19 |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:56 | 05:09 |
| 1 August 2027 | 13:20 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 13:43 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 14:12 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 14:36 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 15:03 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 15:28 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 16:00 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Zabol: at 12:48 and 12:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Zabol compared with other cities
Compared with Tehran, 1,069 km away, the Qibla in Zabol is turned 30.4° further clockwise (248.8° against 218.5°), and Mecca is 459 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Zahedan (181 km), prays towards 251.8°, a difference of 2.9°.
Across the 90 cities in Iran on this site, the Qibla ranges from 195.9° in Khoy to 257.6° in Iranshahr, a spread of 61.7°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Iran.
Qibla in cities near Zabol
Qibla in Zabol: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Zabol?
It is 248.8° from true north, which is west: 21.2° south of west.
How far is Zabol from Mecca?
2,405 km in a straight line over the globe, and 2,269 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Zabol?
On 277 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.
Why is the Qibla in Zabol not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 243.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Zabol at 248.8°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 248.8° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.