Qibla · Alto Paraná Department
Qibla direction in Ciudad del Este
To face the Kaaba in Ciudad del Este, turn to 72.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (17.8° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 11,439 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ciudad del Este should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 72.2°, the Qibla of Ciudad del Este. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 72° 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 Ciudad del Este
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 17.8° towards north: the result is the bearing of 72.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 18° off.
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 Ciudad del Este, 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Ciudad del Este to Mecca points to 62.9° (north-east), 9.3° away from the correct 72.2°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 18 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 72.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Ciudad del Este (25.5036° S, 54.6507° 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 Ciudad del Este to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 11,439 km from Ciudad del Este as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,548 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 13 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Ciudad del Este connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Ciudad del Este run 6 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Ciudad del Este rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ciudad del Este
On 255 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ciudad del Este while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 12:11 local time.
On 77 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 (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 18:08.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | 12:11 | 18:08 |
| 15 January 2027 | 11:56 | 18:34 |
| 1 February 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 10:48 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 10:09 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 09:29 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 08:39 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 07:58 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | — | — |
| 15 May 2027 | — | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | — | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 08:09 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 08:41 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 09:17 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 09:50 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 10:32 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 11:07 | 18:33 |
| 1 December 2027 | 11:44 | 18:05 |
| 15 December 2027 | 12:06 | 17:56 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ciudad del Este (06:18 and 06:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 18:29 and 28 November 2027 at 18:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Ciudad del Este points straight to Mecca.
Ciudad del Este compared with other cities
Compared with Asunción, 302 km away, the Qibla in Ciudad del Este is turned 1.0° further anticlockwise (72.2° against 73.2°), and Mecca is 280 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, San Lorenzo (288 km), prays towards 73.2°, a difference of 1.0°.
Among the 3 cities in Paraguay on this site, Ciudad del Este has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 73.2° in Asunción. Across the country the direction varies by 1.0°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Paraguay.
Qibla in cities near Ciudad del Este
- San Lorenzo73.2° · 288 km
- Asunción73.2° · 302 km
Qibla in Ciudad del Este: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ciudad del Este?
It is 72.2° from true north, which is east: 17.8° north of east.
How far is Ciudad del Este from Mecca?
11,439 km in a straight line over the globe, and 11,548 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ciudad del Este?
On 255 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 Ciudad del Este not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 62.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Ciudad del Este at 72.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 72.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.