Qibla direction in Tobolsk

How to face the Qibla in Tobolsk

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 41.4° towards west: the result is the bearing of 221.4°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Tobolsk.

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 Tobolsk, 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 Tobolsk to Mecca points to 209.6° (south-west), 11.7° away from the correct 221.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 21 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 221.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 58.1981° N, 68.2546° 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 Tobolsk to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,683 km from Tobolsk as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,379 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 01 min, although most pilgrims from Tobolsk connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Tobolsk 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 Tobolsk rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tobolsk

On 305 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tobolsk while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 February 2027 it happens at 15:34 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Tobolsk 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 Tobolsk: at 14:18 and 14:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Tobolsk compared with other cities

Compared with Moscow, 1,860 km away, the Qibla in Tobolsk is turned 45.0° further clockwise (221.4° against 176.4°), and Mecca is 861 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Tyumen (200 km), prays towards 218.6°, a difference of 2.8°.

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 Tobolsk

• Tyumen218.6° · 200 km
• Khanty-Mansiysk220.4° · 315 km
• Kurgan219.6° · 353 km
• Nefteyugansk224.7° · 405 km
• Kamensk-Uralsky214.2° · 429 km
• Surgut225.6° · 446 km