Qibla · Salah ad Din Governorate
Qibla direction in Tuz Khurmatu District
To face the Kaaba in Tuz Khurmatu District, turn to 198.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is south (18.7° west of south). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 1,569 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Tuz Khurmatu District should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 198.7°, the Qibla of Tuz Khurmatu District. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 199° 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 Tuz Khurmatu District
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 18.7° towards west: the result is the bearing of 198.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 19° 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 Tuz Khurmatu District, 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 Tuz Khurmatu District to Mecca points to 197.4°, only 1.2° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 198.7° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 198.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Tuz Khurmatu District (34.8881° N, 44.6326° 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 Tuz Khurmatu District to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 1,569 km from Tuz Khurmatu District as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,256 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 21 min, although most pilgrims from Tuz Khurmatu District connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Tuz Khurmatu District run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Tuz Khurmatu District rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tuz Khurmatu District
On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tuz Khurmatu District 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 13:15 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Tuz Khurmatu District during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | 13:15 | — |
| 15 January 2027 | 13:19 | — |
| 1 February 2027 | 13:18 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 13:13 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 13:06 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 12:57 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:44 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:35 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:26 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:22 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:31 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:34 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:36 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 12:37 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 12:38 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 12:40 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 12:45 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 12:51 | — |
| 1 December 2027 | 12:59 | — |
| 15 December 2027 | 13:07 | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Tuz Khurmatu District: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Tuz Khurmatu District compared with other cities
Compared with Baghdad, 173 km away, the Qibla in Tuz Khurmatu District is turned 1.3° further anticlockwise (198.7° against 199.9°), and Mecca is 169 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Kirkuk (68 km), prays towards 197.1°, a difference of 1.6°.
Across the 40 cities in Iraq on this site, the Qibla ranges from 190.9° in Duhok to 224.3° in Al Fāw, a spread of 33.4°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Iraq.
Qibla in cities near Tuz Khurmatu District
Qibla in Tuz Khurmatu District: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Tuz Khurmatu District?
It is 198.7° from true north, which is south: 18.7° west of south.
How far is Tuz Khurmatu District from Mecca?
1,569 km in a straight line over the globe, and 1,256 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Tuz Khurmatu District?
On 365 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 Iraq?
No. It ranges from 190.9° to 224.3° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 198.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.