Qibla direction in Antsirabe

How to face the Qibla in Antsirabe

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 10.1° towards west: the result is the bearing of 349.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 10° 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 Antsirabe, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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 Antsirabe to Mecca points to 350.3°, only 0.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 349.9° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 349.9° is the direction in which the shortest route from 19.8659° S, 47.0333° 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 Antsirabe to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,657 km from Antsirabe as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,995 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 59 min, although most pilgrims from Antsirabe connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Antsirabe 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 Antsirabe rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Antsirabe

On 303 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Antsirabe 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 1 February 2027 it happens at 12:07 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 December (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 11:53.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Antsirabe: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Antsirabe compared with other cities

Compared with Antananarivo, 118 km away, the Qibla in Antsirabe is turned 0.9° further clockwise (349.9° against 349.0°), and Mecca is 94 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Antananarivo (118 km), prays towards 349.0°, a difference of 0.9°.

Across the 7 cities in Madagascar on this site, the Qibla ranges from 344.5° in Antsiranana to 354.9° in Toliara, a spread of 10.4°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Madagascar.

Qibla in cities near Antsirabe

• Antananarivo349.0° · 118 km
• Fianarantsoa350.2° · 177 km
• Toamasina346.3° · 314 km
• Mahajanga350.1° · 468 km
• Toliara354.9° · 521 km
• Antsiranana344.5° · 873 km