Qibla · Setúbal District
Qibla direction in Setúbal
To face the Kaaba in Setúbal, turn to 97.9° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (7.9° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,995 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Setúbal should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 97.9°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 98°; 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 Setúbal
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 7.9° towards south: the result is the bearing of 97.9°. The direction is close to due east, which makes it easy to remember.
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 Setúbal to Mecca points to 112.2° (east), 14.3° away from the correct 97.9°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 41 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 38.5244° N, 8.8882° W 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 Setúbal to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,995 km from Setúbal as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,796 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 23 min, although most pilgrims from Setúbal connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Setúbal 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 Setúbal rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Setúbal
On 205 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Setúbal 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 07:24 local time.
On 142 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 15 April 2027 at 19:36.
| 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 | 07:24 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 08:52 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:14 | 19:36 |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:40 | 19:05 |
| 15 May 2027 | 10:01 | 18:43 |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:23 | 18:24 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:34 | 18:19 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:36 | 18:24 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:27 | 18:36 |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:06 | 18:59 |
| 15 August 2027 | 09:42 | 19:19 |
| 1 September 2027 | 09:07 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 08:36 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 08:00 | — |
| 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 Setúbal: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Setúbal compared with other cities
The Qibla here is practically the same as in Lisbon (97.9°), and Mecca is 26 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Lisbon (32 km), prays towards 97.9°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.
Across the 8 cities in Portugal on this site, the Qibla ranges from 87.6° in Funchal to 101.2° in Braga, a spread of 13.6°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Portugal.
Qibla in cities near Setúbal
Qibla in Setúbal: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Setúbal?
It is 97.9° from true north, which is east: 7.9° south of east.
How far is Setúbal from Mecca?
4,995 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,796 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Setúbal?
On 205 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 Setúbal not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 112.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Setúbal at 97.9°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 97.9° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.