Qibla · Wales
Qibla direction in Cardiff
To face the Kaaba in Cardiff, turn to 115.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (25.7° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,980 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Cardiff should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 115.7°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 116°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Cardiff
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 25.7° towards south: the result is the bearing of 115.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 26° off.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. The simplest check in Cardiff is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Cardiff. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Cardiff to Mecca points to 131.7° (south-east), a full 16.0° away from the true Qibla of 115.7° (south-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 45 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Cardiff first heads south-east, and that is the direction to face.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 51.4800° N, 3.1800° W to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Cardiff to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,980 km from Cardiff as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,700 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 22 min, although most pilgrims from Cardiff connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Cardiff run 3 hours behind Mecca in winter and 2 hours behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Cardiff rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Cardiff
On 255 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Cardiff while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 15 February 2027 it happens at 07:58 local time.
On 74 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 June (30 days), for instance on 15 May 2027 at 20:21.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 07:58 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 08:11 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 08:22 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:35 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:46 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:58 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 10:09 | 20:21 |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:21 | 20:13 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:27 | 20:11 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:30 | 20:16 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:27 | 20:23 |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:16 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 10:03 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 09:42 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:23 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 09:00 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 08:42 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Cardiff: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Cardiff compared with other cities
Compared with London, England, United Kingdom, 211 km away, the Qibla in Cardiff is turned 3.3° further anticlockwise (115.7° against 119.0°), and Mecca is 186 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Newport (17 km), prays towards 116.0°, a difference of 0.3°.
Across the 75 cities in the United Kingdom on this site, the Qibla ranges from 113.7° in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom to 121.7° in Aberdeen, a spread of 8.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for United Kingdom.
Qibla in cities near Cardiff
Qibla in Cardiff: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Cardiff?
It is 115.7° from true north, which is south-east: 25.7° south of east.
How far is Cardiff from Mecca?
4,980 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,700 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Cardiff?
On 255 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.
Why is the Qibla in Cardiff not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 131.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Cardiff at 115.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 115.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.