Qibla direction in Berbera

How to face the Qibla in Berbera

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 23.8° towards west: the result is the bearing of 336.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 24° off.

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 Berbera, 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 Berbera to Mecca points to 335.6°, only 0.6° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 336.2° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 336.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 10.4396° N, 45.0143° 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 Berbera to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,341 km from Berbera as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,661 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Berbera travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Berbera 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 Berbera rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Berbera

On 130 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Berbera 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 12:06 local time.

On 233 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 11:03.

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

Berbera compared with other cities

Compared with Mogadishu, 935 km away, the Qibla in Berbera is turned 8.7° further anticlockwise (336.2° against 344.9°), and Mecca is 896 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Hargeisa (143 km), prays towards 341.5°, a difference of 5.3°.

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 Berbera

• Hargeisa341.5° · 143 km
• Ruqi343.6° · 181 km
• Boorama344.7° · 208 km
• Cabudwaaq338.4° · 485 km
• El Dibir313.0° · 693 km
• Baidoa348.8° · 828 km