Qibla direction in Mityana

How to face the Qibla in Mityana

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 19.4° towards east: the result is the bearing of 19.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 19° 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 Mityana, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque 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 Mityana to Mecca points to 19.9°, only 0.5° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 19.4° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 19.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 0.4175° N, 32.0228° 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 Mityana to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,484 km from Mityana as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,796 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 25 min, although most pilgrims from Mityana connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Mityana 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 Mityana rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mityana

On 184 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mityana while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 1 April 2027 it happens at 12:50 local time.

On 180 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 13:30.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Mityana: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Mityana compared with other cities

Compared with Kampala, 63 km away, the Qibla in Mityana is turned 1.4° further clockwise (19.4° against 18.1°), and Mecca is 9 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Katabi (62 km), prays towards 18.1°, a difference of 1.3°.

Across the 16 cities in Uganda on this site, the Qibla ranges from 14.8° in Mbale to 23.5° in Kasese, a spread of 8.7°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Uganda.

Qibla in cities near Mityana

• Katabi18.1° · 62 km
• Kampala18.1° · 63 km
• Mubende21.0° · 72 km
• Mukono17.7° · 82 km
• Masaka19.5° · 89 km
• Lugazi17.3° · 102 km