Qibla direction in Zomba

How to face the Qibla in Zomba

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 7.0° towards east: the result is the bearing of 7.0°. 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 Zomba, 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 Zomba to Mecca points to 6.9°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 7.0° bearing remains the exact one.

How is the figure of 7.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Zomba (15.3860° S, 35.3188° 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 Zomba to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,122 km from Zomba as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,456 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 21 min, although most pilgrims from Zomba connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Zomba run 1 hour behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Zomba rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Zomba

On 271 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Zomba 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 11:51 local time.

On 94 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 11:46.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Zomba: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Zomba compared with other cities

Compared with Lilongwe, 228 km away, the Qibla in Zomba is turned 2.6° further anticlockwise (7.0° against 9.6°), and Mecca is 132 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Blantyre (55 km), prays towards 7.4°, a difference of 0.4°.

Among the 4 cities in Malawi on this site, Zomba has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 9.9° in Mzuzu. Across the country the direction varies by 2.9°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Malawi.

Qibla in cities near Zomba

• Blantyre7.4° · 55 km
• Lilongwe9.6° · 228 km
• Mzuzu9.9° · 458 km