Zanzibar Qibla Direction
Find accurate Qibla direction from Zanzibar, Zanzibar West, Tanzania
Qibla Details for Zanzibar
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Qibla direction in Zanzibar?
The Qibla direction from Zanzibar, Zanzibar West, Tanzania is 1.3° (N) from North. This is the direction Muslims in Zanzibar should face during their daily prayers (Salah).
How far is Zanzibar from Mecca?
The distance from Zanzibar to Mecca (Kaaba) is approximately 3,072 kilometers. This is the great-circle distance calculated using the Haversine formula.
How to find Qibla direction in Zanzibar?
Use our free Qibla compass above. For the most accurate direction, click "Use My Exact Location" to enable GPS. On mobile devices, you can also enable the live compass feature which rotates in real-time as you move your phone.
How accurate is this Qibla direction?
Our Qibla calculation uses the great-circle bearing formula which provides 99.9% accuracy. The calculation accounts for Earth's curvature, ensuring precision regardless of distance. For your exact location within Zanzibar, enable GPS for personalized accuracy.
What is the compass bearing for the Qibla in Zanzibar?
The great-circle Qibla bearing from Zanzibar is 1.3° (N). A fixed magnetic-compass (rhumb-line) heading would read about 1.3°. For prayer, use the great-circle value of 1.3°.
Finding Qibla Direction in Zanzibar
The Qibla direction from Zanzibar, Zanzibar West, Tanzania is 1.3° from true north, pointing towards the north. The Kaaba in Mecca lies about 3,072 km (1,909 miles) away. Geographically, Zanzibar sits to the south of Mecca, so the shortest path back to the Kaaba runs to your north.
The Qibla (قِبْلَة) is the direction that Muslims face when performing their daily prayers (Salah). All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba, located in Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, during prayer. From Zanzibar, this means facing north (1.3°).
Great-circle vs compass bearing in Zanzibar
Our Qibla finder uses the great-circle bearing (1.3°), the geometrically shortest path to Mecca across the curved surface of the Earth — the method accepted by most scholars. If you instead follow a single fixed compass heading (the rhumb-line bearing), it would be about 1.3° from Zanzibar. The two differ because long-distance routes curve on a globe; for prayer, use the great-circle value of 1.3°.
Using a compass in Zanzibar
A phone or magnetic compass points to magnetic north, which can differ from true north by several degrees depending on your exact spot in Zanzibar. For the most reliable result, tap "Use My Exact Location" above so the compass corrects to your GPS position, then turn until it reads 1.3° (north) and shows ALIGNED.