Qibla direction in Welkom

How to face the Qibla in Welkom

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 15.7° towards east: the result is the bearing of 15.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 16° 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 Welkom, 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 Welkom to Mecca points to 14.4°, only 1.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 15.7° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 15.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 27.9774° S, 26.7351° 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 Welkom to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 5,670 km from Welkom as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 5,992 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 7 h 10 min, although most pilgrims from Welkom connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Welkom run 1 hour behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Welkom rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Welkom

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Welkom while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 12:10 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Welkom 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 Welkom: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Welkom compared with other cities

Compared with Pretoria, 287 km away, the Qibla in Welkom is turned 1.2° further clockwise (15.7° against 14.5°), and Mecca is 277 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Virginia (19 km), prays towards 15.6°, a difference of 0.2°.

Across the 59 cities in South Africa on this site, the Qibla ranges from 9.4° in Richards Bay to 23.4° in Cape Town, a spread of 14.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for South Africa.

Qibla in cities near Welkom

• Virginia15.6° · 19 km
• Kroonstad15.2° · 61 km
• Klerksdorp16.1° · 125 km
• Bloemfontein16.1° · 137 km
• Botshabelo15.5° · 143 km
• Potchefstroom15.6° · 145 km