Qibla direction in Idlib

How to face the Qibla in Idlib

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 11.7° towards east: the result is the bearing of 168.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 12° off.

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 Idlib, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Idlib 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 Idlib to Mecca points to 169.1°, only 0.8° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 168.3° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 168.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 35.9306° N, 36.6339° 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 Idlib to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,643 km from Idlib as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,306 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 26 min, although most pilgrims from Idlib connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Idlib run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Idlib rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Idlib

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Idlib while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 11:53 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Idlib 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 Idlib: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Idlib compared with other cities

Compared with Damascus, 271 km away, the Qibla in Idlib is turned 3.7° further clockwise (168.3° against 164.6°), and Mecca is 254 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Aleppo (56 km), prays towards 170.3°, a difference of 2.1°.

Across the 12 cities in Syria on this site, the Qibla ranges from 164.6° in Tartus to 184.8° in Al-Qamishli, a spread of 20.3°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Syria.

Qibla in cities near Idlib

• Aleppo170.3° · 56 km
• Latakia164.9° · 88 km
• Hama168.1° · 90 km
• Al Bāb171.7° · 93 km
• Tartus164.6° · 134 km
• Homs167.6° · 134 km