Qibla · Catalonia
Qibla direction in Girona
To face the Kaaba in Girona, turn to 112.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is east (22.0° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,132 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Girona should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 112.0°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 112°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Girona
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 22.0° towards south: the result is the bearing of 112.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 22° off.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Girona to Mecca points to 123.4° (south-east), 11.5° away from the correct 112.0°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 21 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 41.9831° N, 2.8249° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Girona to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,132 km from Girona as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,895 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 22 min, although most pilgrims from Girona connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Girona run 2 hours behind Mecca in winter and 1 hour behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Girona rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Girona
On 257 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Girona 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 February 2027 it happens at 08:17 local time.
On 73 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 June (30 days), for instance on 1 June 2027 at 20:20.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 08:17 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 08:36 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 08:54 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 10:14 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 10:31 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 10:49 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 11:05 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 11:21 | 20:20 |
| 15 June 2027 | 11:30 | 20:17 |
| 1 July 2027 | 11:33 | 20:21 |
| 15 July 2027 | 11:27 | 20:31 |
| 1 August 2027 | 11:12 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 10:53 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 10:25 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 10:00 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 09:31 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 09:06 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Girona: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Girona compared with other cities
Compared with Madrid, 573 km away, the Qibla in Girona is turned 8.0° further clockwise (112.0° against 104.0°), and Mecca is 466 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mataró (58 km), prays towards 111.0°, a difference of 0.9°.
Among the 49 cities in Spain on this site, Girona has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 84.6° in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Across the country the direction varies by 27.4°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Spain.
Qibla in cities near Girona
Qibla in Girona: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Girona?
It is 112.0° from true north, which is east: 22.0° south of east.
How far is Girona from Mecca?
4,132 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,895 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Girona?
On 257 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Girona not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 123.4°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Girona at 112.0°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 112.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.