Qibla direction in Thohoyandou

How to face the Qibla in Thohoyandou

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 12.3° towards east: the result is the bearing of 12.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 12° 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 Thohoyandou, 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 Thohoyandou to Mecca points to 11.6°, only 0.7° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 12.3° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 12.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 22.9456° S, 30.4850° 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 Thohoyandou to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 5,036 km from Thohoyandou as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 5,363 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 25 min, although most pilgrims from Thohoyandou connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Thohoyandou 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 Thohoyandou rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Thohoyandou

On 340 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Thohoyandou while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 15 January 2027 it happens at 12:06 local time.

On 21 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 December (20 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 12:02.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Thohoyandou: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Thohoyandou compared with other cities

Compared with Pretoria, 389 km away, the Qibla in Thohoyandou is turned 2.2° further anticlockwise (12.3° against 14.5°), and Mecca is 357 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Phalaborwa (130 km), prays towards 11.2°, a difference of 1.0°.

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 Thohoyandou

• Phalaborwa11.2° · 130 km
• Polokwane13.4° · 149 km
• Mokopane13.9° · 205 km
• Mbombela11.2° · 286 km
• Somaroboro13.8° · 315 km
• Middelburg13.0° · 331 km