Qibla direction in Västerås

How to face the Qibla in Västerås

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 33.6° towards east: the result is the bearing of 146.4°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Västerås.

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 Västerås, 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Västerås to Mecca points to 156.2° (south-east), 9.8° away from the correct 146.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 14 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 value of 146.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 59.6162° N, 16.5528° 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 Västerås to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,627 km from Västerås as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,299 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Västerås connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Västerås 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 Västerås rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Västerås

On 322 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Västerås 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 January 2027 it happens at 09:38 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Västerås during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

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

Västerås compared with other cities

Compared with Stockholm, 91 km away, the Qibla in Västerås is turned 1.9° further anticlockwise (146.4° against 148.2°), and Mecca is 73 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Uppsala (67 km), prays towards 148.0°, a difference of 1.6°.

Across the 10 cities in Sweden on this site, the Qibla ranges from 138.7° in Helsingborg to 153.5° in Umeå, a spread of 14.8°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Sweden.

Qibla in cities near Västerås

• Uppsala148.0° · 67 km
• Örebro144.4° · 85 km
• Stockholm148.2° · 91 km
• Linköping144.3° · 144 km
• Jönköping141.9° · 247 km
• Gothenburg139.0° · 340 km