Qibla direction in Malé

How to face the Qibla in Malé

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 30.8° towards north: the result is the bearing of 300.8°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “west” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Malé.

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 Malé, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Malé 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Malé to Mecca points to 297.8° (north-west), 3.0° away from the correct 300.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 3 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.

The value of 300.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 4.1752° N, 73.5092° 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 Malé to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,109 km from Malé as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,270 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 20 min, although most pilgrims from Malé connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Malé run 2 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Malé rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Malé

On 164 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Malé 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 1 April 2027 it happens at 12:12 local time.

On 200 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 08:42.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Malé: at 14:18 and 14:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Malé compared with other cities

See all cities on the Qibla page for Maldives.