Qibla · Nuevo León
Qibla direction in Ciudad Benito Juárez
To face the Kaaba in Ciudad Benito Juárez, turn to 43.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-east (43.2° east of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 13,226 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ciudad Benito Juárez should follow.
The compass rose shows the Qibla of Ciudad Benito Juárez as a needle at 43.2°. With a phone app set to true north, simply turn until it reads 43°. A traditional magnetic compass also works, provided you allow for the local difference between magnetic and true north.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Ciudad Benito Juárez
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 43.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 43.2°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Ciudad Benito Juárez.
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 Ciudad Benito Juárez, 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
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Ciudad Benito Juárez to Mecca points to 91.9° (east), a full 48.7° away from the true Qibla of 43.2° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 1,041 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ciudad Benito Juárez first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.
The value of 43.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 25.6466° N, 100.0914° W 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 Ciudad Benito Juárez to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 13,226 km from Ciudad Benito Juárez as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 12,957 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 04 min, although most pilgrims from Ciudad Benito Juárez connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Ciudad Benito Juárez run 9 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Ciudad Benito Juárez rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ciudad Benito Juárez
From Ciudad Benito Juárez the sun never rises high in the Qibla direction of 43.2°, so you cannot simply face the sun. The opposite method works instead, as the right-hand column of the table shows.
On 365 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 15:30.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 15:30 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 15:29 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 15:18 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 15:03 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 14:45 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 14:24 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 13:58 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 13:37 |
| 1 May 2027 | — | 13:17 |
| 15 May 2027 | — | 13:03 |
| 1 June 2027 | — | 12:52 |
| 15 June 2027 | — | 12:50 |
| 1 July 2027 | — | 12:55 |
| 15 July 2027 | — | 13:03 |
| 1 August 2027 | — | 13:16 |
| 15 August 2027 | — | 13:29 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 13:43 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 13:55 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 14:09 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 14:22 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 14:40 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 14:55 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 15:11 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 15:23 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ciudad Benito Juárez (03:18 and 03:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 15:29 and 28 November 2027 at 15:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Ciudad Benito Juárez points straight to Mecca.
Ciudad Benito Juárez compared with other cities
Compared with Mexico City, 698 km away, the Qibla in Ciudad Benito Juárez is turned 3.4° further anticlockwise (43.2° against 46.6°), and Mecca is 420 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Apodaca (18 km), prays towards 43.1°, a difference of 0.1°.
Across the 99 cities in Mexico on this site, the Qibla ranges from 25.5° in Rosarito to 54.2° in Chetumal, a spread of 28.7°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Mexico.
Qibla in cities near Ciudad Benito Juárez
Qibla in Ciudad Benito Juárez: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ciudad Benito Juárez?
It is 43.2° from true north, which is north-east: 43.2° east of north.
How far is Ciudad Benito Juárez from Mecca?
13,226 km in a straight line over the globe, and 12,957 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ciudad Benito Juárez?
The sun never stands in the Qibla direction here, but on 365 days it is exactly opposite, and shadows then point to Mecca.
Why is the Qibla in Ciudad Benito Juárez not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 91.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Ciudad Benito Juárez at 43.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 43.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.