Qibla direction in Van

How to face the Qibla in Van

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 11.2° towards west: the result is the bearing of 191.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 11° off.

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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Van to Mecca points to 190.2°, only 1.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 191.2° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 191.2° is the direction in which the shortest route from 38.4946° N, 43.3832° 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 Van to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 1,929 km from Van as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 1,600 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 2 h 46 min, although most pilgrims from Van connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Van 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 Van rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Van

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Van 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 12:53 local time.

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

Van compared with other cities

Compared with Ankara, 920 km away, the Qibla in Van is turned 31.0° further clockwise (191.2° against 160.1°), and Mecca is 232 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ağrı (139 km), prays towards 189.5°, 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 Van

• Ağrı189.5° · 139 km
• Siirt186.9° · 141 km
• Silopi188.9° · 161 km
• Cizre188.0° · 167 km
• Iğdır192.2° · 169 km
• Batman184.3° · 208 km