Qibla · Irkutsk Oblast
Qibla direction in Irkutsk
To face the Kaaba in Irkutsk, turn to 263.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (6.4° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 6,416 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Irkutsk should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 263.6°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 264°; 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 Irkutsk
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 6.4° towards south: the result is the bearing of 263.6°. The direction is close to due west, 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
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Irkutsk to Mecca points to 238.4° (south-west), a full 25.2° away from the true Qibla of 263.6° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 140 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Irkutsk first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 52.2957° N, 104.2908° E 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 Irkutsk to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 6,416 km from Irkutsk as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,176 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 03 min, although most pilgrims from Irkutsk connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Irkutsk run 5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Irkutsk rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Irkutsk
On 190 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Irkutsk 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 1 April 2027 it happens at 18:21 local time.
On 151 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 07:01.
| 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 | — | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 18:21 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 18:00 | 07:01 |
| 1 May 2027 | 17:40 | 07:15 |
| 15 May 2027 | 17:26 | 07:27 |
| 1 June 2027 | 17:16 | 07:40 |
| 15 June 2027 | 17:14 | 07:48 |
| 1 July 2027 | 17:18 | 07:51 |
| 15 July 2027 | 17:26 | 07:47 |
| 1 August 2027 | 17:39 | 07:35 |
| 15 August 2027 | 17:51 | 07:20 |
| 1 September 2027 | 18:05 | 06:57 |
| 15 September 2027 | 18:17 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | — |
| 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 Irkutsk: at 17:18 and 17:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Irkutsk compared with other cities
Compared with Moscow, 4,202 km away, the Qibla in Irkutsk is turned 87.3° further clockwise (263.6° against 176.4°), and Mecca is 2,594 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Angarsk (39 km), prays towards 263.1°, a difference of 0.5°.
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 Irkutsk
Qibla in Irkutsk: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Irkutsk?
It is 263.6° from true north, which is west: 6.4° south of west.
How far is Irkutsk from Mecca?
6,416 km in a straight line over the globe, and 6,176 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Irkutsk?
On 190 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 Irkutsk not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 238.4°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Irkutsk at 263.6°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 263.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.