Qibla direction finder

Find the direction of the Kaaba from where you are. Use your location or pick a city to get the Qibla angle from true north, the distance to Mecca and today's qibla time, the moment the sun points exactly towards the Kaaba.

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Your location is only used in this page and never leaves your device.

London

Qibla angle: 119.0° from true north
Direction: south-east
Distance to the Kaaba: 4,794 km (2,979 miles)
Today's qibla time: –

How to use it

Tap “Use my location”, or choose your city from the list. Your location stays on your device.
Read the Qibla angle. It is measured clockwise from true north: 90° is east and 180° is south.
To face it without a compass, wait for the qibla time: at that moment the sun is exactly in the Qibla direction, so face the sun.

Qibla direction by city

How the direction is worked out

The Qibla is the direction of the shortest path from you to the Kaaba across the globe, known as the great-circle route. The calculator uses the Kaaba's coordinates (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E) and spherical trigonometry, the method most Qibla tables and apps use.

Because the Earth is round, that shortest path can look odd on a flat map. From North America, for example, the Qibla points north-east, not south-east, because the shortest route to Mecca passes over the North Atlantic.

Finding the Qibla with the sun

On most days there is a moment when the sun, seen from your city, stands exactly in the Qibla direction. This qibla time shifts a little from day to day and doesn't depend on any compass, so on a sunny day it is one of the most reliable checks. Some places, such as North America, have no qibla time on most days because the sun never reaches that part of the sky in daylight.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba. In 2027 that happens on 28 May at 12:18 PM and on 16 July at 12:27 PM, Mecca time. Wherever the sun is up at that moment, it is exactly in the Qibla direction, and the shadow of anything upright points directly away from it.

Using a compass

A compass points to magnetic north, which differs from true north by a few degrees depending on where you are, and a phone's compass can be thrown off by metal, magnets and electronics nearby. That's why compass readings and published tables sometimes differ by a few degrees.

On an iPhone you can set the Compass app to use true north in Settings › Compass. Hold the phone flat, away from metal, and calibrate it if asked. If you can, check against the qibla time on a sunny day.

Frequently asked questions

Which direction is the Qibla?

Towards the Kaaba in Mecca, along the shortest path across the globe. From the UK it is roughly south-east, from Turkey south-south-east, from North America north-east and from Indonesia west-north-west. Use your location above for the exact angle.

How do I find the Qibla without a compass?

Use the qibla time: at that moment the sun is exactly in the Qibla direction, so facing the sun means facing the Kaaba. Around 27–28 May and 15–16 July each year the sun is directly over the Kaaba near midday Mecca time, which works the same way anywhere the sun is up.

Is the Qibla angle measured from true north or magnetic north?

This tool gives it from true north. A magnetic compass can read a few degrees differently depending on where you are, which is why some tables and apps show a slightly different number.

Why does the Qibla point north-east from America?

Because the Earth is a sphere. The shortest route from North America to Mecca curves up over the Atlantic, so the direction you face starts out north-east, even though Mecca looks south-east on a flat map.

What is the qibla time?

It is the moment each day when the sun, seen from where you are, is exactly in the direction of the Kaaba. It changes slightly every day, and in some places and seasons there isn't one because the sun never reaches that direction in daylight.

Are the qibla times accurate?

They use NOAA's solar equations, which are accurate to about a minute. We checked them against the qibla times published by Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) for Istanbul and Ankara, and they matched to within a minute.