Qibla direction in Derbent

How to face the Qibla in Derbent

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 21.6° towards west: the result is the bearing of 201.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 22° 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 Derbent, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Derbent 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 Derbent to Mecca points to 199.0° (south), 2.6° away from the correct 201.6°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is not 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 201.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 42.0662° N, 48.2876° 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 Derbent to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,428 km from Derbent as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,114 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 21 min, although most pilgrims from Derbent connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Derbent run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Derbent rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Derbent

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Derbent 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 13:17 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Derbent during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Derbent: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Derbent compared with other cities

Compared with Moscow, 1,705 km away, the Qibla in Derbent is turned 25.3° further clockwise (201.6° against 176.4°), and Mecca is 1,394 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Makhachkala (120 km), prays towards 199.0°, a difference of 2.6°.

Across the 158 cities in Russia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 148.7° in Kaliningrad to 305.3° in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, a spread of 156.6°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Russia.

Qibla in cities near Derbent

• Makhachkala199.0° · 120 km
• Khasavyurt196.6° · 191 km
• Grozny194.4° · 254 km
• Nazran192.3° · 315 km
• Vladikavkaz192.1° · 316 km
• Nal'chik189.3° · 413 km