Qibla direction in Windhoek

How to face the Qibla in Windhoek

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 28.4° towards east: the result is the bearing of 28.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 28° off.

Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Windhoek to Mecca points to 26.8°, only 1.6° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 28.4° bearing remains the exact one.

The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 22.5594° S, 17.0832° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.

Distance from Windhoek to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 5,477 km from Windhoek as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 5,767 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Windhoek connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Windhoek 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 Windhoek rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Windhoek

On 333 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Windhoek 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 January 2027 it happens at 12:58 local time.

On 30 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 December (25 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 12:56.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Windhoek: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Windhoek compared with other cities

See all cities on the Qibla page for Namibia.