Qibla · Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Qibla direction in Cotabato City
To face the Kaaba in Cotabato City, turn to 290.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (20.7° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 9,140 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Cotabato City should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 290.7°, the Qibla of Cotabato City. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 291° 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 Cotabato City
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 20.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 290.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 21° 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 Cotabato City, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Cotabato City is a handy reference, because the 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 Cotabato City to Mecca points to 279.9° (west), 10.9° away from the correct 290.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 65 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 290.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Cotabato City (7.2236° N, 124.2464° E) 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 Cotabato City to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 9,140 km from Cotabato City as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 9,135 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 11 h 15 min, although most pilgrims from Cotabato City connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Cotabato City run 5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Cotabato City rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Cotabato City
On 106 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Cotabato City while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 15 April 2027 it happens at 12:10 local time.
On 157 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 February 2027 at 07:21.
| 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 | — | 07:21 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 08:26 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 09:23 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 10:16 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 11:18 |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:10 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 13:14 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 14:18 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 15:51 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 14:12 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 13:09 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 11:56 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 10:56 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 09:49 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 08:50 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 07:36 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 06:32 |
| 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 Cotabato City: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Cotabato City compared with other cities
Compared with Manila, 895 km away, the Qibla in Cotabato City is turned 1.7° further clockwise (290.7° against 289.0°), and Mecca is 615 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Budta (21 km), prays towards 290.8°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.
Across the 80 cities in the Philippines on this site, the Qibla ranges from 288.1° in Laoag to 290.9° in General Santos, a spread of 2.8°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Philippines.
Qibla in cities near Cotabato City
Qibla in Cotabato City: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Cotabato City?
It is 290.7° from true north, which is west: 20.7° north of west.
How far is Cotabato City from Mecca?
9,140 km in a straight line over the globe, and 9,135 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Cotabato City?
On 106 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 Cotabato City not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 279.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Cotabato City at 290.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 290.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.