Qibla direction in El Dibir

How to face the Qibla in El Dibir

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 43.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 313.0°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “west” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in El Dibir.

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 El Dibir, 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from El Dibir to Mecca points to 311.5°, only 1.5° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 313.0° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 313.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 11.7667° N, 51.2167° 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 El Dibir to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,619 km from El Dibir as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,868 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 24 min, although most pilgrims from El Dibir connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in El Dibir 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 El Dibir rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in El Dibir

On 122 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of El Dibir 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 11:47 local time.

On 241 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 09:06.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in El Dibir: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

El Dibir compared with other cities

Compared with Mogadishu, 1,261 km away, the Qibla in El Dibir is turned 31.9° further anticlockwise (313.0° against 344.9°), and Mecca is 618 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Berbera (693 km), prays towards 336.2°, a difference of 23.2°.

Among the 10 cities in Somalia on this site, El Dibir has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 353.2° in Kismayo. Across the country the direction varies by 40.2°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Somalia.

Qibla in cities near El Dibir

• Berbera336.2° · 693 km
• Hargeisa341.5° · 819 km
• Cabudwaaq338.4° · 823 km
• Ruqi343.6° · 874 km
• Boorama344.7° · 901 km
• Mogadishu344.9° · 1,261 km