Qibla · Iași County
Qibla direction in Iași
To face the Kaaba in Iași, turn to 154.8° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (25.2° east of south). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,066 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Iași should follow.
The compass rose shows the Qibla of Iași as a needle at 154.8°. With a phone app set to true north, simply turn until it reads 155°. A traditional magnetic compass also works, provided you allow for the local difference between magnetic and true north.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Iași
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 25.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 154.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 25° off.
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 Iași, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Iași to Mecca points to 158.9° (south), 4.1° away from the correct 154.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 2 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 value of 154.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 47.1667° N, 27.6000° 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 Iași to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,066 km from Iași as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,739 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 06 min, although most pilgrims from Iași connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Iași run 1 hour behind Mecca in winter and the same time as 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 Iași rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Iași
On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Iași while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 10:27 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Iași during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | 10:27 | — |
| 15 January 2027 | 10:36 | — |
| 1 February 2027 | 10:46 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 10:52 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 10:57 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 11:00 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:03 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:05 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:09 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:14 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:22 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:15 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:04 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:52 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 11:39 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:29 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 10:19 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 10:15 | — |
| 1 December 2027 | 10:15 | — |
| 15 December 2027 | 10:18 | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Iași: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Iași compared with other cities
Compared with Bucharest, 325 km away, the Qibla in Iași is turned 5.5° further clockwise (154.8° against 149.3°), and Mecca is 215 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Bacau (85 km), prays towards 153.0°, a difference of 1.8°.
Among the 20 cities in Romania on this site, Iași has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 141.8° in Timișoara. Across the country the direction varies by 13.0°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Romania.
Qibla in cities near Iași
Qibla in Iași: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Iași?
It is 154.8° from true north, which is south-east: 25.2° east of south.
How far is Iași from Mecca?
3,066 km in a straight line over the globe, and 2,739 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Iași?
On 365 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 Iași not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 158.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Iași at 154.8°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 154.8° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.