Qibla · Sughd
Qibla direction in Istaravshan
To face the Kaaba in Istaravshan, turn to 242.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-west (28.0° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,440 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Istaravshan should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 242.0°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 242°; 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 Istaravshan
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 28.0° towards south: the result is the bearing of 242.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 28° off.
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. The simplest check in Istaravshan is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Istaravshan. 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 Istaravshan to Mecca points to 233.4° (south-west), 8.6° away from the correct 242.0°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 10 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 39.9142° N, 69.0033° 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 Istaravshan to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,440 km from Istaravshan as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,233 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 33 min, although most pilgrims from Istaravshan connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Istaravshan run 2 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Istaravshan rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Istaravshan
On 291 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Istaravshan 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 17:05 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Istaravshan 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 | 17:05 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 16:47 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 16:26 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 16:02 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 15:33 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 15:09 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 14:45 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 14:28 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 14:16 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 14:12 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 14:17 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 14:26 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 14:42 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 14:57 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 15:15 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 15:30 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 15:47 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 16:03 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 16:24 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 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 Istaravshan: at 14:18 and 14:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Istaravshan compared with other cities
Compared with Dushanbe, 154 km away, the Qibla in Istaravshan is turned 1.8° further anticlockwise (242.0° against 243.8°), and Mecca is 87 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Khujand (67 km), prays towards 242.2°, a difference of 0.2°.
Among the 7 cities in Tajikistan on this site, Istaravshan has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 246.0° in Kŭlob. Across the country the direction varies by 4.0°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Tajikistan.
Qibla in cities near Istaravshan
Qibla in Istaravshan: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Istaravshan?
It is 242.0° from true north, which is south-west: 28.0° south of west.
How far is Istaravshan from Mecca?
3,440 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,233 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Istaravshan?
On 291 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 Istaravshan not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 233.4°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Istaravshan at 242.0°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 242.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.