Qibla direction in Izmir

How to face the Qibla in Izmir

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 36.3° towards east: the result is the bearing of 143.7°. 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 Izmir.

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 Izmir, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Izmir 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 Izmir to Mecca points to 147.2° (south-east), 3.6° away from the correct 143.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 1 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.

The value of 143.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 38.4127° N, 27.1384° 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 Izmir to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,245 km from Izmir as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,946 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 08 min, although most pilgrims from Izmir connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Izmir 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 Izmir rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Izmir

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Izmir 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 10:45 local time.

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

Izmir compared with other cities

Compared with Ankara, 520 km away, the Qibla in Izmir is turned 16.5° further anticlockwise (143.7° against 160.1°), and Mecca is 85 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Manisa (33 km), prays towards 144.7°, a difference of 1.0°.

Among the 85 cities in Türkiye on this site, Izmir has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 192.2° in Iğdır. Across the country the direction varies by 48.6°.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Türkiye.

Qibla in cities near Izmir

• Manisa144.7° · 33 km
• Turgutlu145.1° · 50 km
• Aydin144.4° · 88 km
• Salihli146.2° · 88 km
• Nazilli145.7° · 117 km
• Balıkesir147.3° · 152 km