Qibla · Sverdlovsk Oblast

Qibla direction in Nizhny Tagil

To face the Kaaba in Nizhny Tagil, turn to 210.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-west (30.4° west of south). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,372 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Nizhny Tagil should follow.

The compass rose shows the Qibla of Nizhny Tagil as a needle at 210.4°. With a phone app set to true north, simply turn until it reads 210°. 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 Nizhny Tagil

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 30.4° towards west: the result is the bearing of 210.4°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Nizhny Tagil.

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 Nizhny Tagil, 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 Nizhny Tagil to Mecca points to 202.1° (south), 8.2° away from the correct 210.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 10 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 210.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 57.9194° N, 59.9650° 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 Nizhny Tagil to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,372 km from Nizhny Tagil as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,055 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 39 min, although most pilgrims from Nizhny Tagil connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

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

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Nizhny Tagil

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Nizhny Tagil 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 15:16 local time.

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

Sun in the Qibla direction in Nizhny Tagil, 2027 (local time, 24-hour clock). — means it does not happen that day.
DateSun in the Qibla direction (face the sun)Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla)
1 January 202715:16—
15 January 202715:20—
1 February 202715:19—
15 February 202715:14—
1 March 202715:07—
15 March 202714:57—
1 April 202714:45—
15 April 202714:35—
1 May 202714:26—
15 May 202714:20—
1 June 202714:18—
15 June 202714:19—
1 July 202714:22—
15 July 202714:27—
1 August 202714:31—
15 August 202714:34—
1 September 202714:37—
15 September 202714:38—
1 October 202714:39—
15 October 202714:41—
1 November 202714:46—
15 November 202714:52—
1 December 202715:00—
15 December 202715:08—

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Nizhny Tagil: at 14:18 and 14:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Nizhny Tagil compared with other cities

Compared with Moscow, 1,374 km away, the Qibla in Nizhny Tagil is turned 34.0° further clockwise (210.4° against 176.4°), and Mecca is 550 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Pervouralsk (113 km), prays towards 211.0°, a difference of 0.6°.

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 Nizhny Tagil

Qibla in Nizhny Tagil: questions and answers

What is the Qibla direction in Nizhny Tagil?

It is 210.4° from true north, which is south-west: 30.4° west of south.

How far is Nizhny Tagil from Mecca?

4,372 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,055 km to Medina.

When does the sun show the Qibla in Nizhny Tagil?

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 Nizhny Tagil not the direction shown on a map?

Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 202.1°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Nizhny Tagil at 210.4°, and that is the Qibla.

Does the Qibla change during the year?

No. The direction of 210.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.

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