Qibla · Västerbotten County
Qibla direction in Umeå
To face the Kaaba in Umeå, turn to 153.5° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (26.5° east of south). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,935 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Umeå should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 153.5°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 154°; 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 Umeå
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 26.5° towards east: the result is the bearing of 153.5°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 26° 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 Umeå to Mecca points to 162.4° (south), 8.9° away from the correct 153.5°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 12 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 63.8284° N, 20.2597° 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 Umeå to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,935 km from Umeå as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,600 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 18 min, although most pilgrims from Umeå connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Umeå 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 Umeå rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Umeå
On 305 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Umeå 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 1 February 2027 it happens at 10:02 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Umeå during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.
| 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 | 10:02 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 10:06 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 10:09 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 10:10 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 11:10 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 11:11 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 11:12 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 11:15 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 11:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 11:26 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 11:24 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 11:19 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 11:09 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:00 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 10:50 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 10:42 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 09:34 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 09:32 | — |
| 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 Umeå: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Umeå compared with other cities
Compared with Stockholm, 513 km away, the Qibla in Umeå is turned 5.3° further clockwise (153.5° against 148.2°), and Mecca is 381 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Uppsala (462 km), prays towards 148.0°, a difference of 5.6°.
Among the 10 cities in Sweden on this site, Umeå has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 138.7° in Helsingborg. Across the country the direction varies by 14.8°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Sweden.
Qibla in cities near Umeå
Qibla in Umeå: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Umeå?
It is 153.5° from true north, which is south-east: 26.5° east of south.
How far is Umeå from Mecca?
4,935 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,600 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Umeå?
On 305 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 Umeå not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 162.4°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Umeå at 153.5°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 153.5° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.