Qibla · Braga District
Qibla direction in Braga
To face the Kaaba in Braga, turn to 101.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (11.2° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 5,012 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Braga should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 101.2°, the Qibla of Braga. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 101° 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 Braga
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 11.2° towards south: the result is the bearing of 101.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 11° 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 Braga, 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
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Braga to Mecca points to 116.3° (south-east), a full 15.1° away from the true Qibla of 101.2° (east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 44 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Braga first heads east, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 101.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Braga (41.5514° N, 8.4231° 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 Braga to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 5,012 km from Braga as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,792 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 24 min, although most pilgrims from Braga connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Braga run 3 hours behind Mecca in winter and 2 hours behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Braga rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Braga
On 218 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Braga 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 March 2027 it happens at 07:40 local time.
On 127 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 May (31 days), for instance on 1 May 2027 at 19:29.
| 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 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | — | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 07:40 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:04 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:23 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:45 | 19:29 |
| 15 May 2027 | 10:03 | 19:10 |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:22 | 18:54 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:32 | 18:50 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:34 | 18:55 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:27 | 19:06 |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:09 | 19:25 |
| 15 August 2027 | 09:48 | 19:43 |
| 1 September 2027 | 09:17 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 08:49 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 08:17 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | — | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 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 Braga: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Braga compared with other cities
Compared with Lisbon, 320 km away, the Qibla in Braga is turned 3.3° further clockwise (101.2° against 97.9°), and Mecca is 9 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Porto (47 km), prays towards 100.7°, a difference of 0.5°.
Among the 8 cities in Portugal on this site, Braga has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 87.6° in Funchal. Across the country the direction varies by 13.6°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Portugal.
Qibla in cities near Braga
Qibla in Braga: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Braga?
It is 101.2° from true north, which is east: 11.2° south of east.
How far is Braga from Mecca?
5,012 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,792 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Braga?
On 218 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 Braga not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 116.3°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Braga at 101.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 101.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.