Qibla direction in La Concepción

How to face the Qibla in La Concepción

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 26.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 64.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 26° 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 La Concepción, 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 La Concepción to Mecca points to 84.2° (east), a full 20.3° away from the true Qibla of 64.0° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 222 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from La Concepción first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 64.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 10.6192° N, 71.8381° 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 La Concepción to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 11,752 km from La Concepción as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 11,623 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 14 h 20 min, although most pilgrims from La Concepción connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in La Concepción 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 La Concepción rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in La Concepción

On 129 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of La Concepción 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 May 2027 it happens at 12:05 local time.

On 235 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 17:45.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in La Concepción (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 La Concepción points straight to Mecca.

La Concepción compared with other cities

Compared with Caracas, 542 km away, the Qibla in La Concepción is turned 1.4° further anticlockwise (64.0° against 65.4°), and Mecca is 484 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Maracaibo (25 km), prays towards 64.0°, a difference of 0.1°.

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 La Concepción

• Maracaibo64.0° · 25 km
• Cabimas64.2° · 49 km
• Ciudad Ojeda64.2° · 74 km
• Machiques63.9° · 100 km
• San Carlos del Zulia64.4° · 180 km
• Valera64.7° · 198 km