Qibla · Sughd
Qibla direction in Konibodom
To face the Kaaba in Konibodom, turn to 243.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-west (26.8° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,567 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Konibodom should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 243.2°, the Qibla of Konibodom. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 243° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Konibodom
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 26.8° towards south: the result is the bearing of 243.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 27° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Konibodom, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Konibodom to Mecca points to 234.1° (south-west), 9.1° away from the correct 243.2°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 12 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.
How is the figure of 243.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Konibodom (40.2941° N, 70.4312° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Konibodom to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,567 km from Konibodom as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,361 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 42 min, although most pilgrims from Konibodom connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Konibodom 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 Konibodom rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Konibodom
On 286 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Konibodom 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 17:06 local time.
On 34 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in June (26 days), for instance on 15 June 2027 at 05:21.
| 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 | 17:06 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 16:49 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 16:27 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 16:03 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 15:33 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 15:10 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 14:45 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 14:29 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 14:16 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 14:12 | 05:21 |
| 1 July 2027 | 14:17 | 05:24 |
| 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 | 15:48 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 16:04 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 16:25 | — |
| 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 Konibodom: at 14:18 and 14:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Konibodom compared with other cities
Compared with Dushanbe, 242 km away, the Qibla in Konibodom is turned 0.6° further anticlockwise (243.2° against 243.8°), and Mecca is 214 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Isfara (25 km), prays towards 243.7°, a difference of 0.5°.
Across the 7 cities in Tajikistan on this site, the Qibla ranges from 242.0° in Istaravshan to 246.0° in Kŭlob, a spread of 4.0°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Tajikistan.
Qibla in cities near Konibodom
- Isfara243.7° · 25 km
- Khujand242.2° · 69 km
- Istaravshan242.0° · 129 km
- Dushanbe243.8° · 242 km
- Kŭlob246.0° · 270 km
- Kurgan-Tyube244.9° · 308 km
Qibla in Konibodom: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Konibodom?
It is 243.2° from true north, which is south-west: 26.8° south of west.
How far is Konibodom from Mecca?
3,567 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,361 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Konibodom?
On 286 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 Konibodom not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 234.1°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Konibodom at 243.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 243.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.