Qibla · Western Province
Qibla direction in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
To face the Kaaba in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, turn to 294.8° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-west (24.8° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,587 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 294.8°, the Qibla of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 295° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 24.8° towards north: the result is the bearing of 294.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 25° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka is a handy reference, because the prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka to Mecca points to 290.5° (west), 4.3° away from the correct 294.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 6 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.
How is the figure of 294.8° obtained? From the coordinates of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka (6.9355° N, 79.8487° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,587 km from Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,702 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 54 min, although most pilgrims from Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka run 2.5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
On 150 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka 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 12:36 local time.
On 215 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 07:07.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 07:07 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 07:46 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 08:45 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 09:34 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 10:19 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 11:03 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 11:53 |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:36 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 13:25 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 14:09 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 14:59 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 15:27 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 15:26 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 14:58 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 14:09 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 13:22 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 11:33 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 10:36 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 09:46 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 08:47 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 08:02 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 07:17 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 06:54 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka: at 14:48 and 14:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka compared with other cities
The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Moratuwa (18 km), prays towards 294.9°, a difference of 0.2°.
Across the 7 cities in Sri Lanka on this site, the Qibla ranges from 291.8° in Jaffna to 294.9° in Moratuwa, a spread of 3.1°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Sri Lanka.
Qibla in cities near Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Qibla in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka?
It is 294.8° from true north, which is north-west: 24.8° north of west.
How far is Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka from Mecca?
4,587 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,702 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka?
On 150 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 Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 290.5°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka at 294.8°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 294.8° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.