Qibla direction in Bunda

How to face the Qibla in Bunda

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 13.7° towards east: the result is the bearing of 13.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 14° 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 Bunda, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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 Bunda to Mecca points to 14.0°, only 0.3° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 13.7° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 13.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 2.0215° S, 33.8711° 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 Bunda to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,686 km from Bunda as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,010 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 40 min, although most pilgrims from Bunda connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Bunda 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 Bunda rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Bunda

On 196 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Bunda while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 1 April 2027 it happens at 12:42 local time.

On 168 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 January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 13:10.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Bunda: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Bunda compared with other cities

Compared with Dodoma, 506 km away, the Qibla in Bunda is turned 5.5° further clockwise (13.7° against 8.2°), and Mecca is 414 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Musoma (59 km), prays towards 14.1°, a difference of 0.4°.

Across the 34 cities in Tanzania on this site, the Qibla ranges from 1.1° in Dar es Salaam to 359.4° in Mtwara, a spread of 358.3°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Tanzania.

Qibla in cities near Bunda

• Musoma14.1° · 59 km
• Bariadi13.0° · 87 km
• Tarime12.9° · 93 km
• Mwanza15.5° · 121 km
• Sengerema15.9° · 153 km
• Shinyanga13.8° · 189 km