Qibla · Kilifi County
Qibla direction in Malindi
To face the Kaaba in Malindi, turn to 359.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (0.6° west of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 2,740 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Malindi should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 359.4°, the Qibla of Malindi. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 359° 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 Malindi
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 0.6° towards west: the result is the bearing of 359.4°. The direction is close to due north, which makes it easy to remember.
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 Malindi, 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 Malindi to Mecca points to 359.3°, only 0.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 359.4° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 359.4° obtained? From the coordinates of Malindi (3.2180° S, 40.1169° 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 Malindi to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 2,740 km from Malindi as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,079 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 43 min, although most pilgrims from Malindi connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Malindi 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 Malindi rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Malindi
On 202 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Malindi while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 15 March 2027 it happens at 12:29 local time.
On 162 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 12:22.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 12:22 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 12:28 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 12:32 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 12:33 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 12:32 |
| 15 March 2027 | 12:29 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:17 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:21 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:25 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:25 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 12:15 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | — |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 12:05 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:03 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 12:03 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 12:08 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 12:14 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Malindi: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Malindi compared with other cities
Compared with Nairobi, 425 km away, the Qibla in Malindi is turned 7.9° further anticlockwise (359.4° against 7.2°), and Mecca is 194 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mombasa (106 km), prays towards 0.4°, a difference of 1.0°.
Among the 20 cities in Kenya on this site, Malindi has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 0.4° in Mombasa. Across the country the direction varies by 359.0°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Kenya.
Qibla in cities near Malindi
Qibla in Malindi: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Malindi?
It is 359.4° from true north, which is north: 0.6° west of north.
How far is Malindi from Mecca?
2,740 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,079 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Malindi?
On 202 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 Kenya?
No. It ranges from 0.4° to 359.4° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 359.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.