Qibla direction in Katumba

How to face the Qibla in Katumba

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 11.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 11.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 11° 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 Katumba, 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 Katumba to Mecca points to 11.3°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 11.2° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 11.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 9.2333° S, 33.6167° 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 Katumba to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,476 km from Katumba as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,803 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 35 min, although most pilgrims from Katumba connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Katumba 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 Katumba rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Katumba

On 234 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Katumba 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 March 2027 it happens at 12:57 local time.

On 130 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 13:01.

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

Katumba compared with other cities

Compared with Dodoma, 413 km away, the Qibla in Katumba is turned 3.0° further clockwise (11.2° against 8.2°), and Mecca is 375 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mbeya (41 km), prays towards 11.6°, 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 Katumba

• Mbeya11.6° · 41 km
• Tunduma12.7° · 94 km
• Makumbako9.1° · 140 km
• Sumbawanga15.2° · 261 km
• Songea7.3° · 275 km
• Iringa7.8° · 281 km