Qibla · Manicaland
Qibla direction in Mutare
To face the Kaaba in Mutare, turn to 10.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is north (10.2° east of north). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,559 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Mutare should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 10.2°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 10°; 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 Mutare
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 10.2° towards east: the result is the bearing of 10.2°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at north would leave you about 10° 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. If a mosque is nearby, its mihrab and prayer lines are the easiest reference, since they were set when the building was laid out. 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
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Mutare to Mecca points to 9.8°, only 0.3° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 10.2° bearing remains the exact one.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 18.9707° S, 32.6709° E 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 Mutare to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,559 km from Mutare as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,888 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 5 h 52 min, although most pilgrims from Mutare connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Mutare 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 Mutare rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mutare
On 295 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mutare 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 1 February 2027 it happens at 12:01 local time.
On 68 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 December (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 11:56.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 11:56 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 12:00 |
| 1 February 2027 | 12:01 | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 11:59 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 11:54 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 11:46 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 11:37 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 11:29 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 11:19 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 11:18 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 11:20 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 11:23 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 11:27 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 11:30 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 11:31 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 11:30 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 11:29 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 11:28 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 11:28 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 11:30 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | 11:33 | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 11:40 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 11:48 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Mutare: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Mutare compared with other cities
Compared with Harare, 213 km away, the Qibla in Mutare is turned 2.5° further anticlockwise (10.2° against 12.7°), and Mecca is 91 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Chitungwiza (199 km), prays towards 12.6°, a difference of 2.5°.
Among the 7 cities in Zimbabwe on this site, Mutare has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 15.4° in Bulawayo. Across the country the direction varies by 5.3°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Zimbabwe.
Qibla in cities near Mutare
Qibla in Mutare: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Mutare?
It is 10.2° from true north, which is north: 10.2° east of north.
How far is Mutare from Mecca?
4,559 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,888 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Mutare?
On 295 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.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Zimbabwe?
No. It ranges from 10.2° to 15.4° across the country, so each city has its own bearing.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 10.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.