Qibla · Agadez
Qibla direction in Arlit
To face the Kaaba in Arlit, turn to 79.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (10.6° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,395 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Arlit should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 79.4°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 79°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Arlit
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 10.6° towards north: the result is the bearing of 79.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 11° 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Arlit to Mecca points to 85.0° (east), 5.6° away from the correct 79.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 6 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.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 18.7369° N, 7.3853° 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 Arlit to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,395 km from Arlit as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,384 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 30 min, although most pilgrims from Arlit connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Arlit run 2 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Arlit rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Arlit
On 77 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Arlit while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (27 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 07:19 local time.
On 154 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 March (31 days), for instance on 1 March 2027 at 18:00.
| 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 | — | 18:00 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 16:59 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 15:46 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 14:45 |
| 1 May 2027 | 07:19 | 13:33 |
| 15 May 2027 | 08:27 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 08:20 | 12:53 |
| 15 August 2027 | 07:13 | 13:56 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 15:03 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 15:54 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 16:53 |
| 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 Arlit: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Arlit compared with other cities
Compared with Niamey, 809 km away, the Qibla in Arlit is turned 7.2° further clockwise (79.4° against 72.2°), and Mecca is 690 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Agadez (206 km), prays towards 76.4°, a difference of 3.0°.
Among the 6 cities in Niger on this site, Arlit has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 71.0° in Zinder. Across the country the direction varies by 8.4°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Niger.
Qibla in cities near Arlit
Qibla in Arlit: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Arlit?
It is 79.4° from true north, which is east: 10.6° north of east.
How far is Arlit from Mecca?
3,395 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,384 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Arlit?
On 77 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 Arlit not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 85.0°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Arlit at 79.4°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 79.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.