Qibla direction in Tartus

How to face the Qibla in Tartus

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 15.4° towards east: the result is the bearing of 164.6°. 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 Tartus, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Tartus 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 Tartus to Mecca points to 165.6°, only 1.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 164.6° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 164.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.8890° N, 35.8866° 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 Tartus to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,546 km from Tartus as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,213 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 19 min, although most pilgrims from Tartus connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Tartus 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 Tartus rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tartus

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tartus 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 11:42 local time.

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

Tartus compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Damascus (164.6°), and Mecca is 158 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Latakia (72 km), prays towards 164.9°, a difference of 0.3°.

Among the 12 cities in Syria on this site, Tartus has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 184.8° in Al-Qamishli. Across the country the direction varies by 20.3°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Syria.

Qibla in cities near Tartus

• Latakia164.9° · 72 km
• Homs167.6° · 79 km
• Hama168.1° · 84 km
• Idlib168.3° · 134 km
• Damascus164.6° · 158 km
• Aleppo170.3° · 186 km