Qibla · Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
Qibla direction in Tangier
To face the Kaaba in Tangier, turn to 97.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (7.2° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,684 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Tangier should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 97.2°, the Qibla of Tangier. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 97° 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 Tangier
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 7.2° towards south: the result is the bearing of 97.2°. 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 Tangier, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Tangier 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 Tangier to Mecca points to 109.8° (east), 12.6° away from the correct 97.2°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 30 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 97.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Tangier (35.7673° N, 5.7998° 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 Tangier to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,684 km from Tangier as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,502 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 01 min, although most pilgrims from Tangier connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Tangier 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 Tangier rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tangier
On 203 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tangier 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 15 March 2027 it happens at 07:09 local time.
On 145 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 18:17.
| 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 | 07:09 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 07:41 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 08:06 | 18:17 |
| 1 May 2027 | 08:35 | 17:43 |
| 15 May 2027 | 08:59 | 17:17 |
| 1 June 2027 | 09:23 | 16:56 |
| 15 June 2027 | 09:36 | 16:49 |
| 1 July 2027 | 09:37 | 16:55 |
| 15 July 2027 | 09:27 | 17:09 |
| 1 August 2027 | 09:03 | 17:34 |
| 15 August 2027 | 08:36 | 17:58 |
| 1 September 2027 | 07:58 | 18:27 |
| 15 September 2027 | 07:24 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 06:45 | — |
| 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 Tangier: at 09:18 and 09:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Tangier compared with other cities
Compared with Rabat, 217 km away, the Qibla in Tangier is turned 2.6° further clockwise (97.2° against 94.6°), and Mecca is 74 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Tétouan (44 km), prays towards 97.3°, a difference of 0.1°.
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 Tangier
- Tétouan97.3° · 44 km
- Larache96.3° · 72 km
- Ksar El Kebir96.3° · 86 km
- Sidi Slimane95.5° · 167 km
- Al Hoceima97.9° · 178 km
- Kenitra95.0° · 182 km
Qibla in Tangier: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Tangier?
It is 97.2° from true north, which is east: 7.2° south of east.
How far is Tangier from Mecca?
4,684 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,502 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Tangier?
On 203 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 Tangier not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 109.8°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Tangier at 97.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 97.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.