Qibla · Tongatapu
Qibla direction in Nuku'alofa
To face the Kaaba in Nuku'alofa, turn to 277.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (7.0° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 16,393 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Nuku'alofa should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 277.0°, the Qibla of Nuku'alofa. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 277° 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 Nuku'alofa
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 7.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 277.0°. The direction is close to due west, which makes it easy to remember.
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 Nuku'alofa, 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 Nuku'alofa to Mecca points to 286.7° (west), 9.7° away from the correct 277.0°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 48 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 277.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Nuku'alofa (21.1368° S, 175.2011° W) 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 Nuku'alofa to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 16,393 km from Nuku'alofa as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 16,437 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 19 h 47 min, although most pilgrims from Nuku'alofa connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Nuku'alofa run 10 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Nuku'alofa rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Nuku'alofa
On 154 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Nuku'alofa 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 14:26 local time.
On 100 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 November (30 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 10:16.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 10:16 |
| 1 February 2027 | 14:26 | 08:53 |
| 15 February 2027 | 15:29 | 07:52 |
| 1 March 2027 | 16:24 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 17:16 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 18:17 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | — | — |
| 1 May 2027 | — | — |
| 15 May 2027 | — | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | — | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 17:47 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 16:41 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 15:42 | 06:38 |
| 1 November 2027 | 14:30 | 07:46 |
| 15 November 2027 | 13:28 | 08:51 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 10:31 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Nuku'alofa (22:18 and 22:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 14 January 2027 at 10:29 and 29 November 2027 at 10:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Nuku'alofa points straight to Mecca.
Nuku'alofa compared with other cities
See all cities on the Qibla page for Tonga.
Qibla in Nuku'alofa: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Nuku'alofa?
It is 277.0° from true north, which is west: 7.0° north of west.
How far is Nuku'alofa from Mecca?
16,393 km in a straight line over the globe, and 16,437 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Nuku'alofa?
On 154 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 Nuku'alofa not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 286.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Nuku'alofa at 277.0°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 277.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.