Qibla · Mersin Province
Qibla direction in Mersin
To face the Kaaba in Mersin, turn to 162.3° measured clockwise from true north, which is south (17.7° east of south). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 1,783 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Mersin should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 162.3°, the Qibla of Mersin. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 162° 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 Mersin
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 17.7° towards east: the result is the bearing of 162.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 18° off.
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 Mersin, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Mersin 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 Mersin to Mecca points to 163.7°, only 1.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 162.3° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 162.3° obtained? From the coordinates of Mersin (36.8120° N, 34.6389° 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 Mersin to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 1,783 km from Mersin as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,452 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 36 min, although most pilgrims from Mersin connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Mersin 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 Mersin rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mersin
On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mersin 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 11:37 local time.
The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Mersin 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 | 11:37 | — |
| 15 January 2027 | 11:45 | — |
| 1 February 2027 | 11:54 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 11:59 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 12:03 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 12:05 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:07 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:08 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:11 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:14 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:23 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:17 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:07 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:56 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 11:45 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:35 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 1 December 2027 | 11:24 | — |
| 15 December 2027 | 11:28 | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Mersin: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Mersin compared with other cities
Compared with Ankara, 379 km away, the Qibla in Mersin is turned 2.1° further clockwise (162.3° against 160.1°), and Mecca is 377 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Tarsus (25 km), prays towards 163.2°, a difference of 0.9°.
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 Mersin
Qibla in Mersin: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Mersin?
It is 162.3° from true north, which is south: 17.7° east of south.
How far is Mersin from Mecca?
1,783 km in a straight line over the globe, and 1,452 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Mersin?
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 162.3° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.