Qibla · Osh Region
Qibla direction in Osh
To face the Kaaba in Osh, turn to 245.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-west (24.4° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,759 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Osh should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 245.6°, the Qibla of Osh. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 246° 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 Osh
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 24.4° towards south: the result is the bearing of 245.6°. 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 Osh, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Osh 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 Osh to Mecca points to 235.7° (south-west), 9.9° away from the correct 245.6°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 14 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 245.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Osh (40.5283° N, 72.7985° 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 Osh to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,759 km from Osh as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,557 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 55 min, although most pilgrims from Osh connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Osh run 3 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Osh rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Osh
On 271 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Osh 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 17:53 local time.
On 60 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 06:18.
| 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 | 17:53 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 17:31 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 17:06 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 16:36 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 16:11 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 15:46 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 15:29 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 15:16 | 06:18 |
| 15 June 2027 | 15:12 | 06:27 |
| 1 July 2027 | 15:16 | 06:30 |
| 15 July 2027 | 15:26 | 06:24 |
| 1 August 2027 | 15:43 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 15:58 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 16:17 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 16:33 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 16:51 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 17:08 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 17:30 | — |
| 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 Osh: at 15:18 and 15:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Osh compared with other cities
Compared with Bishkek, 300 km away, the Qibla in Osh is turned 1.0° further clockwise (245.6° against 244.6°), and Mecca is 245 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Manas (49 km), prays towards 245.2°, a difference of 0.3°.
Among the 3 cities in Kyrgyzstan on this site, Osh has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 244.6° in Bishkek. Across the country the direction varies by 1.0°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Kyrgyzstan.
Qibla in cities near Osh
Qibla in Osh: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Osh?
It is 245.6° from true north, which is south-west: 24.4° south of west.
How far is Osh from Mecca?
3,759 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,557 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Osh?
On 271 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 Osh not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 235.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Osh at 245.6°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 245.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.