Qibla direction in Latakia

How to face the Qibla in Latakia

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 15.1° towards east: the result is the bearing of 164.9°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 15° 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 Latakia, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Latakia 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 Latakia to Mecca points to 165.9°, only 1.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 164.9° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 164.9° is the direction in which the shortest route from 35.5313° N, 35.7909° 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 Latakia to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,617 km from Latakia as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,284 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 24 min, although most pilgrims from Latakia connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Latakia 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 Latakia rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Latakia

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Latakia 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 11:43 local time.

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

Latakia compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Damascus (164.6°), and Mecca is 229 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Tartus (72 km), prays towards 164.6°, a difference of 0.3°.

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 Latakia

• Tartus164.6° · 72 km
• Idlib168.3° · 88 km
• Hama168.1° · 98 km
• Homs167.6° · 124 km
• Aleppo170.3° · 144 km
• Al Bāb171.7° · 181 km