Qibla direction in Simferopol

How to face the Qibla in Simferopol

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 13.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 166.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at south would leave you about 13° 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 Simferopol, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Simferopol 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 Simferopol to Mecca points to 168.7°, only 1.8° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 166.8° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 166.8° is the direction in which the shortest route from 44.9572° N, 34.1108° 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 Simferopol to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 2,669 km from Simferopol as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 2,332 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 3 h 38 min, although most pilgrims from Simferopol connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Simferopol 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 Simferopol rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Simferopol

On 365 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Simferopol 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 11:53 local time.

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

Simferopol compared with other cities

Compared with Kyiv, 667 km away, the Qibla in Simferopol is turned 4.4° further clockwise (166.8° against 162.5°), and Mecca is 660 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Sevastopol (61 km), prays towards 165.3°, a difference of 1.5°.

Across the 40 cities in Ukraine on this site, the Qibla ranges from 146.6° in Uzhhorod to 178.9° in Luhansk, a spread of 32.4°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Ukraine.

Qibla in cities near Simferopol

• Sevastopol165.3° · 61 km
• Yevpatoriya165.3° · 64 km
• Kerch172.3° · 191 km
• Melitopol170.4° · 232 km
• Mykolayiv163.4° · 278 km
• Berdyansk173.4° · 288 km