Qibla · Central Luzon
Qibla direction in Olongapo City
To face the Kaaba in Olongapo City, turn to 288.9° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (18.9° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 8,446 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Olongapo City should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 288.9°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 289°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Olongapo City
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 18.9° towards north: the result is the bearing of 288.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 19° off.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Olongapo City to Mecca points to 274.9° (west), 13.9° away from the correct 288.9°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 82 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 angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 14.8292° N, 120.2828° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Olongapo City to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 8,446 km from Olongapo City as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 8,407 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 10 h 26 min, although most pilgrims from Olongapo City connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Olongapo 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 Olongapo City rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Olongapo City
On 104 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Olongapo 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 11:58 local time.
On 180 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 06:46.
| 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 | — | 06:46 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 07:41 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 08:32 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 09:20 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 10:16 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 11:02 |
| 1 May 2027 | 11:58 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:50 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 13:55 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 14:41 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 14:36 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 13:51 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:48 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | 11:55 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 10:50 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 09:56 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 08:54 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 08:00 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 06:54 |
| 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 Olongapo City: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Olongapo City compared with other cities
The Qibla here is practically the same as in Manila (289.0°), and Mecca is 79 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Angeles City (48 km), prays towards 288.8°, 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 Olongapo City
- Angeles City288.8° · 48 km
- San Fernando City288.9° · 49 km
- Mariveles289.0° · 49 km
- Malolos288.9° · 57 km
- Baliuag288.9° · 67 km
- Concepcion288.8° · 68 km
Qibla in Olongapo City: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Olongapo City?
It is 288.9° from true north, which is west: 18.9° north of west.
How far is Olongapo City from Mecca?
8,446 km in a straight line over the globe, and 8,407 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Olongapo City?
On 104 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 Olongapo City not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 274.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Olongapo City at 288.9°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 288.9° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.