Qibla direction in Brazzaville

How to face the Qibla in Brazzaville

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 42.1° towards east: the result is the bearing of 42.1°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Brazzaville.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Brazzaville, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Brazzaville is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Brazzaville to Mecca points to 43.1°, only 1.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 42.1° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 42.1° is the direction in which the shortest route from 4.2661° S, 15.2832° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Brazzaville to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,912 km from Brazzaville as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,139 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 06 min, although most pilgrims from Brazzaville connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Brazzaville run 2 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Brazzaville rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Brazzaville

On 208 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Brazzaville 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 12:00 local time.

On 156 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 January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 13:17.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Brazzaville: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Brazzaville compared with other cities

The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Nkayi (222 km), prays towards 44.4°, a difference of 2.2°.

Among the 4 cities in the Republic of the Congo on this site, Brazzaville has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 45.3° in Pointe-Noire. Across the country the direction varies by 3.1°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Republic of the Congo.

Qibla in cities near Brazzaville

• Nkayi44.4° · 222 km
• Dolisie45.0° · 290 km
• Pointe-Noire45.3° · 383 km