Qibla direction in Denizli

How to face the Qibla in Denizli

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 32.6° towards east: the result is the bearing of 147.4°. 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 Denizli.

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 Denizli, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Denizli 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 Denizli to Mecca points to 150.4° (south-east), 3.0° away from the correct 147.4°. 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 147.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 37.7742° N, 29.0875° 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 Denizli to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,090 km from Denizli as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,784 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 58 min, although most pilgrims from Denizli connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Denizli 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 Denizli rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Denizli

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Denizli 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 10:55 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Denizli 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 Denizli: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Denizli compared with other cities

Compared with Ankara, 404 km away, the Qibla in Denizli is turned 12.7° further anticlockwise (147.4° against 160.1°), and Mecca is 70 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Nazilli (69 km), prays towards 145.7°, a difference of 1.7°.

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 Denizli

• Nazilli145.7° · 69 km
• Uşak149.6° · 104 km
• Aydin144.4° · 110 km
• Salihli146.2° · 114 km
• Isparta151.3° · 129 km
• Turgutlu145.1° · 145 km