Qibla direction in Nazilli

How to face the Qibla in Nazilli

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 34.3° towards east: the result is the bearing of 145.7°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “south” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Nazilli.

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 Nazilli, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Nazilli 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

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Nazilli to Mecca points to 148.9° (south-east), 3.2° away from the correct 145.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is not the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 145.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 37.9163° N, 28.3223° 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 Nazilli to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,140 km from Nazilli as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,838 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 01 min, although most pilgrims from Nazilli connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Nazilli 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 Nazilli rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Nazilli

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Nazilli while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 10:51 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Nazilli during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

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

Nazilli compared with other cities

Compared with Ankara, 451 km away, the Qibla in Nazilli is turned 14.4° further anticlockwise (145.7° against 160.1°), and Mecca is 20 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Aydin (43 km), prays towards 144.4°, a difference of 1.3°.

Across the 85 cities in Türkiye on this site, the Qibla ranges from 143.7° in Izmir to 192.2° in Iğdır, a spread of 48.6°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Türkiye.

Qibla in cities near Nazilli

• Aydin144.4° · 43 km
• Salihli146.2° · 65 km
• Denizli147.4° · 69 km
• Turgutlu145.1° · 84 km
• Manisa144.7° · 110 km
• Izmir143.7° · 117 km