Qibla · Malatya Province
Qibla direction in Malatya
To face the Kaaba in Malatya, turn to 175.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is south (4.8° east of south). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 1,888 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Malatya should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 175.2°, the Qibla of Malatya. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 175° 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 Malatya
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 4.8° towards east: the result is the bearing of 175.2°. The direction is close to due south, 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 Malatya, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Malatya is a handy reference, because the 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
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Malatya to Mecca points to 175.6°, only 0.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 175.2° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 175.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Malatya (38.3502° N, 38.3167° E) 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 Malatya to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 1,888 km from Malatya as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,549 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 43 min, although most pilgrims from Malatya connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Malatya 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 Malatya rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Malatya
On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Malatya 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 12:12 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Malatya during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | 12:12 | — |
| 15 January 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 1 February 2027 | 12:24 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 12:25 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 12:25 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:17 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:16 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:16 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:22 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:25 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:26 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:17 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 12:11 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 12:04 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:58 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 11:54 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 11:54 | — |
| 1 December 2027 | 11:58 | — |
| 15 December 2027 | 12:03 | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Malatya: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Malatya compared with other cities
Compared with Ankara, 502 km away, the Qibla in Malatya is turned 15.0° further clockwise (175.2° against 160.1°), and Mecca is 273 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Adıyaman (65 km), prays towards 174.9°, a difference of 0.3°.
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 Malatya
Qibla in Malatya: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Malatya?
It is 175.2° from true north, which is south: 4.8° east of south.
How far is Malatya from Mecca?
1,888 km in a straight line over the globe, and 1,549 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Malatya?
On 365 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.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Türkiye?
No. It ranges from 143.7° to 192.2° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 175.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.