Qibla direction in Wau

How to face the Qibla in Wau

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 38.5° towards east: the result is the bearing of 38.5°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Wau.

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 Wau, 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 Wau to Mecca points to 39.8°, only 1.3° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 38.5° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 38.5° is the direction in which the shortest route from 7.7011° N, 27.9897° 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 Wau to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,985 km from Wau as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,237 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 50 min, although most pilgrims from Wau connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Wau 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 Wau rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Wau

On 146 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Wau 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 15 April 2027 it happens at 12:02 local time.

On 219 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 13:54.

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

Wau compared with other cities

Compared with Juba, 508 km away, the Qibla in Wau is turned 13.5° further clockwise (38.5° against 25.0°), and Mecca is 61 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Winejok (153 km), prays towards 42.2°, a difference of 3.6°.

Across the 5 cities in South Sudan on this site, the Qibla ranges from 25.0° in Juba to 42.2° in Winejok, a spread of 17.1°. 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 Sudan.

Qibla in cities near Wau

• Winejok42.2° · 153 km
• Malakal32.5° · 452 km
• Yei26.4° · 499 km
• Juba25.0° · 508 km