Qibla · Dakar
Qibla direction in Rufisque
To face the Kaaba in Rufisque, turn to 74.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (16.0° north of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 6,051 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Rufisque should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 74.0°, the Qibla of Rufisque. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 74° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Rufisque
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 16.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 74.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 16° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Rufisque, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Rufisque is a handy reference, because the prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Rufisque to Mecca points to 83.0° (east), 9.0° away from the correct 74.0°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 27 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.
How is the figure of 74.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Rufisque (14.7154° N, 17.2733° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Rufisque to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 6,051 km from Rufisque as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,017 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 7 h 37 min, although most pilgrims from Rufisque connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Rufisque run 3 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Rufisque rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Rufisque
On 59 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Rufisque while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (29 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 13:01 local time.
On 159 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 March (31 days), for instance on 15 February 2027 at 18:26.
| 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 | — | 18:26 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 17:25 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 16:24 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 15:12 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 14:12 |
| 1 May 2027 | 13:01 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 07:48 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 09:36 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 07:42 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | 13:24 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 14:30 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 15:20 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 16:18 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 17:10 |
| 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 Rufisque: at 09:18 and 09:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Rufisque compared with other cities
The Qibla here is practically the same as in Dakar (73.9°), and Mecca is 18 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Dakar (19 km), prays towards 73.9°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.
Across the 13 cities in Senegal on this site, the Qibla ranges from 72.5° in Ziguinchor to 74.9° in Saint-Louis, a spread of 2.4°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Senegal.
Qibla in cities near Rufisque
Qibla in Rufisque: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Rufisque?
It is 74.0° from true north, which is east: 16.0° north of east.
How far is Rufisque from Mecca?
6,051 km in a straight line over the globe, and 6,017 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Rufisque?
On 59 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 Rufisque not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 83.0°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Rufisque at 74.0°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 74.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.