Qibla · Nampula Province
Qibla direction in Cidade de Nacala
To face the Kaaba in Cidade de Nacala, turn to 358.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (1.4° west of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,002 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Cidade de Nacala should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 358.6°, the Qibla of Cidade de Nacala. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 359° 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 Cidade de Nacala
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 1.4° towards west: the result is the bearing of 358.6°. The direction is close to due north, 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 Cidade de Nacala, 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
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Cidade de Nacala to Mecca points to 358.7°, only 0.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 358.6° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 358.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Cidade de Nacala (14.5626° S, 40.6854° E) 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 Cidade de Nacala to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,002 km from Cidade de Nacala as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,341 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 13 min, although most pilgrims from Cidade de Nacala connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Cidade de Nacala run 1 hour behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Cidade de Nacala rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Cidade de Nacala
On 265 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Cidade de Nacala while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 15 February 2027 it happens at 11:32 local time.
On 100 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 11:20.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 11:20 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 11:26 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 11:31 |
| 15 February 2027 | 11:32 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 11:30 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 11:20 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 11:17 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 11:17 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 11:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 11:21 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 11:25 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 11:25 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 11:20 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:14 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 11:08 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:04 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 11:01 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 11:01 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 11:05 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 11:11 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Cidade de Nacala: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Cidade de Nacala compared with other cities
Compared with Maputo, 1,523 km away, the Qibla in Cidade de Nacala is turned 10.5° further anticlockwise (358.6° against 9.1°), and Mecca is 1,324 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Nampula (164 km), prays towards 0.9°, a difference of 2.2°.
Across the 16 cities in Mozambique on this site, the Qibla ranges from 0.9° in Nampula to 359.9° in Angoche, a spread of 359.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Mozambique.
Qibla in cities near Cidade de Nacala
Qibla in Cidade de Nacala: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Cidade de Nacala?
It is 358.6° from true north, which is north: 1.4° west of north.
How far is Cidade de Nacala from Mecca?
4,002 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,341 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Cidade de Nacala?
On 265 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.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Mozambique?
No. It ranges from 0.9° to 359.9° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 358.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.