Qibla direction in Kitwe

How to face the Qibla in Kitwe

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 18.6° towards east: the result is the bearing of 18.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 19° 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 Kitwe, 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Kitwe to Mecca points to 18.4°, only 0.1° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 18.6° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 18.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 12.8024° S, 28.2132° 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 Kitwe to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,011 km from Kitwe as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,325 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 13 min, although most pilgrims from Kitwe connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Kitwe run 1 hour behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Kitwe rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Kitwe

On 255 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Kitwe 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 12:21 local time.

On 110 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 12:25.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Kitwe: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Kitwe compared with other cities

Compared with Lusaka, 290 km away, the Qibla in Kitwe is turned 1.2° further clockwise (18.6° against 17.4°), and Mecca is 273 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Mufulira (28 km), prays towards 18.6°, a difference of 0.1°.

Across the 16 cities in Zambia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 11.5° in Chipata to 24.5° in Mongu, a spread of 13.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Zambia.

Qibla in cities near Kitwe

• Mufulira18.6° · 28 km
• Luanshya18.1° · 43 km
• Chingola19.2° · 47 km
• Ndola17.9° · 49 km
• Chililabombwe19.3° · 65 km
• Kabwe17.5° · 185 km