Which way to Mecca? Turkish imam finds faithful had been praying in wrong direction for 37 years

Muslims in a village in western Turkey have been forced to ‘realign’ their beliefs after learning that they had been praying in the wrong direction for nearly four decades due to a faulty floor plan at their local mosque.

Imam Isa Kaya decided to investigate rumors that the congregation at his mosque in the village of Sugoren had been praying facing the wrong direction. In the Islamic faith, prayers should be performed in the direction of Mecca.

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After appealing to the office of the regional mufti, Kaya was shocked to learn that the gossip was true – the mosque, which had been built in 1981, suffered from an embarrassing design error: the niche in the wall of the mosque indicating the direction of Mecca was around 30 degrees off its mark.

The region’s religious officials have opted for a makeshift solution: White strips on the mosque’s carpet now indicate the correct direction for proper worship.

“We have explained the situation to our congregation and most of them have reacted positively to our solution,” Kaya told Demiroren News Agency, as quoted by Hurriyet.

Meanwhile, the structure will be redesigned.

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