Qibla · Canton of Zurich
Qibla direction in Winterthur
To face the Kaaba in Winterthur, turn to 125.3° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (35.3° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,017 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Winterthur should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 125.3°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 125°; 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 Winterthur
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 35.3° towards south: the result is the bearing of 125.3°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Winterthur.
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 Winterthur to Mecca points to 136.0° (south-east), 10.6° away from the correct 125.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 17 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 47.5056° N, 8.7241° 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 Winterthur to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,017 km from Winterthur as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,735 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 14 min, although most pilgrims from Winterthur connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Winterthur 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 Winterthur rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Winterthur
On 305 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Winterthur 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 08:47 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Winterthur 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 | 08:47 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 09:00 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 09:13 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 09:24 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 10:37 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 10:47 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 10:59 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 11:09 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 11:20 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 11:30 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 11:17 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 11:03 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 10:43 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 10:24 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 10:02 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 09:44 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 08:25 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 08:14 | — |
| 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 Winterthur: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Winterthur compared with other cities
Compared with Bern, 115 km away, the Qibla in Winterthur is turned 2.2° further clockwise (125.3° against 123.1°), and Mecca is 45 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Zurich (20 km), prays towards 125.0°, a difference of 0.4°.
Among the 6 cities in Switzerland on this site, Winterthur has the largest Qibla bearing; the smallest is 120.7° in Geneva. Across the country the direction varies by 4.7°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Switzerland.
Qibla in cities near Winterthur
Qibla in Winterthur: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Winterthur?
It is 125.3° from true north, which is south-east: 35.3° south of east.
How far is Winterthur from Mecca?
4,017 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,735 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Winterthur?
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 Winterthur not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 136.0°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Winterthur at 125.3°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 125.3° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.