Qibla · Lima Province
Qibla direction in Lima
To face the Kaaba in Lima, turn to 72.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (18.0° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 13,252 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Lima should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 72.0°, the Qibla of Lima. 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 Lima
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 18.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 72.0°. 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 Lima, 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 Lima to Mecca points to 73.7°, only 1.7° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 72.0° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 72.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Lima (12.0432° S, 77.0282° 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 Lima to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 13,252 km from Lima as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,238 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 05 min, although most pilgrims from Lima connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Lima run 8 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Lima rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Lima
On 158 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Lima 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 1 March 2027 it happens at 11:27 local time.
On 70 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 November (28 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 15:16.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 15:16 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 13:34 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 12:29 |
| 1 March 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 10:27 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:14 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 08:13 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 07:02 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | — | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | — | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 07:25 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 08:31 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:22 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 10:20 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:13 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:25 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 13:35 |
| 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 happen at night in Lima (04:18 and 04:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 16:29 and 28 November 2027 at 16:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Lima points straight to Mecca.
Lima compared with other cities
The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Chincha Alta (180 km), prays towards 72.7°, a difference of 0.7°.
Across the 20 cities in Peru on this site, the Qibla ranges from 68.0° in Sullana to 74.1° in Tacna, a spread of 6.1°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Peru.
Qibla in cities near Lima
Qibla in Lima: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Lima?
It is 72.0° from true north, which is east: 18.0° north of east.
How far is Lima from Mecca?
13,252 km in a straight line over the globe, and 13,238 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Lima?
On 158 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 Peru?
No. It ranges from 68.0° to 74.1° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 72.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.