Qibla direction in Al Manāqil

How to face the Qibla in Al Manāqil

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 41.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 41.2°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Al Manāqil.

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 Al Manāqil, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Al Manāqil 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 Al Manāqil to Mecca points to 42.2°, only 1.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 41.2° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 41.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 14.2459° N, 32.9891° 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 Al Manāqil to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,077 km from Al Manāqil as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,331 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Al Manāqil travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Al Manāqil 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 Al Manāqil rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Al Manāqil

On 108 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Al Manāqil 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 1 May 2027 it happens at 11:42 local time.

On 257 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 14:03.

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

Al Manāqil compared with other cities

Compared with Khartoum, 153 km away, the Qibla in Al Manāqil is turned 7.4° further anticlockwise (41.2° against 48.6°), and Mecca is 68 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Wad Madani (60 km), prays towards 39.6°, a difference of 1.6°.

Across the 18 cities in Sudan on this site, the Qibla ranges from 27.8° in Ad-Damazin to 61.9° in Geneina, a spread of 34.1°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Sudan.

Qibla in cities near Al Manāqil

• Wad Madani39.6° · 60 km
• Sennar36.3° · 98 km
• Kūstī38.6° · 125 km
• Khartoum48.6° · 153 km
• Singa33.4° · 159 km
• Gedaref29.2° · 259 km