Qibla direction in Būkān

How to face the Qibla in Būkān

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 21.9° towards west: the result is the bearing of 201.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 22° 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 Būkān, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Būkān 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Būkān to Mecca points to 200.2°, only 1.7° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 201.9° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 201.9° is the direction in which the shortest route from 36.5210° N, 46.2089° 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 Būkān to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,789 km from Būkān as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,481 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 36 min, although most pilgrims from Būkān connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Būkān 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 Būkān rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Būkān

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Būkān 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 13:53 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Būkān 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 Būkān: at 12:48 and 12:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Būkān compared with other cities

Compared with Tehran, 477 km away, the Qibla in Būkān is turned 16.5° further anticlockwise (201.9° against 218.5°), and Mecca is 157 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Saqqez (31 km), prays towards 202.5°, a difference of 0.6°.

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 Būkān

• Saqqez202.5° · 31 km
• Mīāndoāb201.1° · 50 km
• Mahabad200.1° · 51 km
• Bāneh201.6° · 65 km
• Marāgheh, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran200.9° · 97 km
• Piranshahr198.3° · 97 km