Qibla · Bicol Region
Qibla direction in Iriga City
To face the Kaaba in Iriga City, turn to 289.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (19.7° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 8,816 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Iriga City should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 289.7°, the Qibla of Iriga City. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 290° 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 Iriga City
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 19.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 289.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 20° 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 Iriga City, 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 Iriga City to Mecca points to 275.7° (west), 14.0° away from the correct 289.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 88 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 289.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Iriga City (13.4324° N, 123.4115° 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 Iriga City to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 8,816 km from Iriga City as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 8,778 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 10 h 52 min, although most pilgrims from Iriga City connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Iriga 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 Iriga City rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Iriga City
On 112 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Iriga 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 1 May 2027 it happens at 12:02 local time.
On 177 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 06:48.
| 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 | — | 06:48 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 07:43 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 08:35 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 09:23 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 10:19 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 11:06 |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:02 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:55 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 14:01 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 14:51 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 14:45 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 13:57 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:53 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 11:59 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 10:53 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 09:59 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 08:57 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 08:02 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 06:56 |
| 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 Iriga City: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Iriga City compared with other cities
Compared with Manila, 293 km away, the Qibla in Iriga City is turned 0.7° further clockwise (289.7° against 289.0°), and Mecca is 290 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Naga, Bicol Region, Philippines (32 km), prays towards 289.6°, a difference of 0.1°.
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 Iriga City
- Naga, Bicol Region, Philippines289.6° · 32 km
- Legaspi City289.8° · 48 km
- Sorsogon City289.9° · 81 km
- Lucena City289.3° · 202 km
- Roxas City289.9° · 218 km
- Candelaria289.3° · 222 km
Qibla in Iriga City: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Iriga City?
It is 289.7° from true north, which is west: 19.7° north of west.
How far is Iriga City from Mecca?
8,816 km in a straight line over the globe, and 8,778 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Iriga City?
On 112 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 Iriga City not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 275.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Iriga City at 289.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 289.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.