Qibla direction in Ecatepec de Morelos

How to face the Qibla in Ecatepec de Morelos

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 43.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 46.6°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Ecatepec de Morelos.

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 Ecatepec de Morelos, 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

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Ecatepec de Morelos to Mecca points to 89.2° (east), a full 42.6° away from the true Qibla of 46.6° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 837 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ecatepec de Morelos first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

How is the figure of 46.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Ecatepec de Morelos (19.6001° N, 99.0486° W) 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 Ecatepec de Morelos to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,627 km from Ecatepec de Morelos as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,379 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 32 min, although most pilgrims from Ecatepec de Morelos connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Ecatepec de Morelos 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 Ecatepec de Morelos rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ecatepec de Morelos

On 68 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ecatepec de Morelos while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in June (30 days); for example, on 1 June 2027 it happens at 12:23 local time.

On 296 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 15:32.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ecatepec de Morelos (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 Ecatepec de Morelos points straight to Mecca.

Ecatepec de Morelos compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Mexico City (46.6°), and Mecca is 19 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Cuautitlán Izcalli (18 km), prays towards 46.4°, 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 Ecatepec de Morelos

• Cuautitlán Izcalli46.4° · 18 km
• Mexico City46.6° · 21 km
• Zumpango de Ocampo46.5° · 23 km
• Chicoloapan de Juárez46.8° · 26 km
• Tlalpan46.6° · 36 km
• Delegación Cuajimalpa de Morelos46.5° · 36 km