Qibla direction in Sumbawanga

How to face the Qibla in Sumbawanga

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 15.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 15.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north 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 Sumbawanga, 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 Sumbawanga to Mecca points to 15.3°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 15.2° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 15.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 7.9667° S, 31.6167° 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 Sumbawanga to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,389 km from Sumbawanga as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,709 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 29 min, although most pilgrims from Sumbawanga connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Sumbawanga 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 Sumbawanga rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Sumbawanga

On 227 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Sumbawanga 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 13:06 local time.

On 137 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 13:15.

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

Sumbawanga compared with other cities

Compared with Dodoma, 497 km away, the Qibla in Sumbawanga is turned 7.0° further clockwise (15.2° against 8.2°), and Mecca is 288 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mpanda (190 km), prays towards 17.0°, a difference of 1.8°.

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 Sumbawanga

• Mpanda17.0° · 190 km
• Tunduma12.7° · 195 km
• Mbeya11.6° · 227 km
• Katumba11.2° · 261 km
• Tabora14.3° · 354 km
• Makumbako9.1° · 367 km