Qibla direction in Stavanger

How to face the Qibla in Stavanger

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 42.2° towards south: the result is the bearing of 132.2°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Stavanger.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Stavanger, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Stavanger to Mecca points to 146.5° (south-east), 14.3° away from the correct 132.2°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 33 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 value of 132.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 58.9701° N, 5.7333° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Stavanger to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,974 km from Stavanger as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,658 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 21 min, although most pilgrims from Stavanger connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Stavanger run 2 hours behind Mecca in winter and 1 hour behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Stavanger rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Stavanger

On 281 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Stavanger 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 09:36 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Stavanger during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

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

Stavanger compared with other cities

Compared with Oslo, 302 km away, the Qibla in Stavanger is turned 6.9° further anticlockwise (132.2° against 139.0°), and Mecca is 124 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Bergen (160 km), prays towards 132.7°, a difference of 0.5°.

Among the 6 cities in Norway on this site, Stavanger has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 140.8° in Trondheim. Across the country the direction varies by 8.7°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Norway.

Qibla in cities near Stavanger

• Bergen132.7° · 160 km
• Kristiansand134.3° · 160 km
• Drammen138.2° · 268 km
• Oslo139.0° · 302 km
• Trondheim140.8° · 555 km