Qibla · Casablanca-Settat
Qibla direction in Berrechid
To face the Kaaba in Berrechid, turn to 93.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (3.4° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,821 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Berrechid should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 93.4°, the Qibla of Berrechid. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 93° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Berrechid
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 3.4° towards south: the result is the bearing of 93.4°. The direction is close to due east, 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 Berrechid, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Berrechid is a handy reference, because the 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Berrechid to Mecca points to 105.7° (east), 12.4° away from the correct 93.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 31 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.
How is the figure of 93.4° obtained? From the coordinates of Berrechid (33.2655° N, 7.5875° 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 Berrechid to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,821 km from Berrechid as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,659 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 10 min, although most pilgrims from Berrechid connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Berrechid run 3 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Berrechid rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Berrechid
On 189 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Berrechid 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 07:26 local time.
On 159 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 May (31 days), for instance on 15 April 2027 at 17:54.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | — | — |
| 15 March 2027 | — | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 07:26 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 07:55 | 17:54 |
| 1 May 2027 | 08:28 | 17:15 |
| 15 May 2027 | 08:56 | 16:46 |
| 1 June 2027 | 09:24 | 16:21 |
| 15 June 2027 | 09:38 | 16:12 |
| 1 July 2027 | 09:40 | 16:18 |
| 15 July 2027 | 09:28 | 16:34 |
| 1 August 2027 | 08:59 | 17:04 |
| 15 August 2027 | 08:29 | 17:31 |
| 1 September 2027 | 07:46 | 18:04 |
| 15 September 2027 | 07:09 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | — |
| 15 October 2027 | — | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Berrechid: at 09:18 and 09:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Berrechid compared with other cities
Compared with Rabat, 109 km away, the Qibla in Berrechid is turned 1.3° further anticlockwise (93.4° against 94.6°), and Mecca is 64 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Bouskoura (21 km), prays towards 93.5°, a difference of 0.2°.
Across the 34 cities in Morocco on this site, the Qibla ranges from 87.7° in Guelmim to 98.7° in Oujda, a spread of 11.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Morocco.
Qibla in cities near Berrechid
- Bouskoura93.5° · 21 km
- Settat93.1° · 30 km
- Dar Bouazza93.5° · 35 km
- Casablanca93.7° · 36 km
- Mohammedia93.9° · 50 km
- Khouribga93.3° · 77 km
Qibla in Berrechid: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Berrechid?
It is 93.4° from true north, which is east: 3.4° south of east.
How far is Berrechid from Mecca?
4,821 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,659 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Berrechid?
On 189 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Berrechid not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 105.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Berrechid at 93.4°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 93.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.