How to Find the Qibla Direction

Muslims face the Ka'bah in Makkah when they pray: "So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you are, turn your faces toward it" (Quran 2:144). That direction is called the qibla. Here is how it is found.

The shortest path on a globe

The qibla is the direction of the shortest route to the Ka'bah over the Earth's surface, a great circle. On a flat map this route usually looks curved, which surprises many people. From North America, for example, the qibla points north-east, not south-east, because the shortest path to Makkah crosses the North Atlantic.

The bearing is calculated from your latitude and longitude and those of the Ka'bah (about 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E) with a standard spherical trigonometry formula. HijriTime shows this angle, measured clockwise from true north, on every city's prayer times page, together with the distance to Makkah.

Using a compass

A magnetic compass points to magnetic north, which differs from true north by the magnetic declination. Depending on where you live this can be a few degrees or more than ten. To use a compass, add or subtract your local declination from the qibla angle, or use a phone app that corrects for it. Keep the compass away from metal and electronics, which deflect the needle.

Checking with the sun

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Ka'bah, around 27–28 May at 12:18 and 15–16 July at 12:27 Makkah time. At that moment, everywhere the sun is up, shadows point directly away from the qibla. On other days the sun still crosses the qibla direction at some moment; our city pages show that local time as "Sun over qibla", when a shadow points straight away from Makkah.

When you are unsure

If you cannot determine the qibla exactly, scholars agree that a sincere best estimate is sufficient. In a mosque, follow the direction of the prayer niche (mihrab).