Qibla · Eastern Region
Qibla direction in Mbale
To face the Kaaba in Mbale, turn to 14.8° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (14.8° east of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 2,343 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Mbale should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 14.8°, the Qibla of Mbale. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 15° 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 Mbale
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 14.8° towards east: the result is the bearing of 14.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 15° 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 Mbale, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Mbale 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 Mbale to Mecca points to 15.2°, only 0.4° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 14.8° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 14.8° obtained? From the coordinates of Mbale (1.0821° N, 34.1750° 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 Mbale to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 2,343 km from Mbale as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,665 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 15 min, although most pilgrims from Mbale connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Mbale 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 Mbale rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mbale
On 180 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mbale 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 12:44 local time.
On 183 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 13:14.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 13:14 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 13:17 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 13:17 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 13:12 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 13:05 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 12:56 |
| 1 April 2027 | 12:44 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:34 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:25 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 12:19 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 12:22 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 12:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:31 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:34 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 12:36 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 12:37 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 12:38 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 12:39 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 12:44 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 12:49 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 12:58 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 13:05 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Mbale: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Mbale compared with other cities
Compared with Kampala, 197 km away, the Qibla in Mbale is turned 3.3° further anticlockwise (14.8° against 18.1°), and Mecca is 132 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Njeru (132 km), prays towards 16.7°, a difference of 2.0°.
Among the 16 cities in Uganda on this site, Mbale has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 23.5° in Kasese. Across the country the direction varies by 8.7°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Uganda.
Qibla in cities near Mbale
Qibla in Mbale: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Mbale?
It is 14.8° from true north, which is north: 14.8° east of north.
How far is Mbale from Mecca?
2,343 km in a straight line over the globe, and 2,665 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Mbale?
On 180 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 Uganda?
No. It ranges from 14.8° to 23.5° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 14.8° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.