Qibla · Awdal
Qibla direction in Ruqi
To face the Kaaba in Ruqi, turn to 343.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (16.4° west of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 1,330 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ruqi should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 343.6°, the Qibla of Ruqi. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 344° 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 Ruqi
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 16.4° towards west: the result is the bearing of 343.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north 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 Ruqi, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its 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
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Ruqi to Mecca points to 343.2°, only 0.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 343.6° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 343.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Ruqi (9.9729° N, 43.4276° E) 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 Ruqi to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 1,330 km from Ruqi as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,662 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Ruqi travel to the Hijaz by road.
Clocks in Ruqi 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 Ruqi rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ruqi
On 133 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ruqi 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 May 2027 it happens at 12:10 local time.
On 231 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 January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 11:30.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 11:30 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 11:38 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 11:48 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 11:54 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 11:58 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 12:01 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 12:04 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 12:06 |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:10 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:14 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:16 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 12:04 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 11:53 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 11:41 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 11:31 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 11:21 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 11:17 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 11:17 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 11:21 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Ruqi: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Ruqi compared with other cities
Compared with Mogadishu, 907 km away, the Qibla in Ruqi is turned 1.3° further anticlockwise (343.6° against 344.9°), and Mecca is 907 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Boorama (27 km), prays towards 344.7°, a difference of 1.1°.
Across the 10 cities in Somalia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 313.0° in El Dibir to 353.2° in Kismayo, a spread of 40.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Somalia.
Qibla in cities near Ruqi
Qibla in Ruqi: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ruqi?
It is 343.6° from true north, which is north: 16.4° west of north.
How far is Ruqi from Mecca?
1,330 km in a straight line over the globe, and 1,662 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ruqi?
On 133 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.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Somalia?
No. It ranges from 313.0° to 353.2° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 343.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.