How to Find the Qibla Direction Anywhere

Updated 27 October 2026 · 5 min read

The Qibla is the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah, which Muslims face in prayer. Finding it accurately is a geometry problem on a round Earth, and the answer is often surprising.

How the bearing is worked out

The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest route over the Earth's surface from you to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). The direction is given as a bearing in degrees clockwise from true north: 90° is east, 180° south, 270° west.

On a flat world map, Makkah looks south-east of London. On a globe, the shortest path heads east-south-east and then curves south. This is why the Qibla from North America is north-east, not south-east: the great-circle route crosses the Atlantic towards Europe before descending to Arabia.

Using a compass

• Magnetic north is not true north. A compass points to magnetic north, which differs from true north by an amount called declination. In the UK today it is small (around a degree or less), but in parts of North America it can be over 10°. Correct for it, or use a phone compass set to true north.
• Calibrate your phone by moving it in a figure-of-eight, and keep it away from metal, speakers and laptops, which bend the reading.
• Hold it flat and check the reading in a couple of spots in the room.

Letting the sun show the way

Twice a year the sun passes almost directly over the Kaaba at solar noon in Makkah: around 27–28 May at 09:18 UTC and around 15–16 July at 09:27 UTC. At that moment, anywhere the sun is up, a vertical stick's shadow points directly away from the Qibla, so facing towards the sun means facing the Kaaba. In the UK that is 10:18 and 10:27 BST. It is a simple, instrument-free way to check a prayer room's marking.

Find your exact bearing with the Qibla direction tool, which also shows the distance to Makkah.

Times in this guide are calculated start times. Your mosque may publish different times or iqamah times; see our calculation disclaimer.