Qibla direction in Ciudad Bolívar

How to face the Qibla in Ciudad Bolívar

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 23.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 66.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 23° 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 Ciudad Bolívar, 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

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Ciudad Bolívar to Mecca points to 82.4° (east), a full 15.8° away from the true Qibla of 66.6° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 143 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ciudad Bolívar first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 66.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 8.1237° N, 63.5469° W 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 Ciudad Bolívar to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,041 km from Ciudad Bolívar as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 10,945 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 13 h 29 min, although most pilgrims from Ciudad Bolívar connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Ciudad Bolívar run 7 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Ciudad Bolívar rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ciudad Bolívar

On 143 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ciudad Bolívar 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 15 April 2027 it happens at 11:58 local time.

On 190 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 March (31 days), for instance on 15 January 2027 at 17:23.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Ciudad Bolívar (05:18 and 05:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 17:29 and 28 November 2027 at 17:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Ciudad Bolívar points straight to Mecca.

Ciudad Bolívar compared with other cities

Compared with Caracas, 450 km away, the Qibla in Ciudad Bolívar is turned 1.2° further clockwise (66.6° against 65.4°), and Mecca is 227 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ciudad Guayana (103 km), prays towards 66.7°, a difference of 0.2°.

Across the 47 cities in Venezuela on this site, the Qibla ranges from 63.9° in Machiques to 66.8° in Upata, a spread of 2.9°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Venezuela.

Qibla in cities near Ciudad Bolívar

• Ciudad Guayana66.7° · 103 km
• El Tigre66.3° · 115 km
• Upata66.8° · 126 km
• Anaco66.2° · 177 km
• Maturín66.4° · 185 km
• Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela66.0° · 257 km