How do I find the Qibla?
The easiest way: tap “Use my location” and the calculator shows the angle from north and an arrow on the dial. On a phone, tap “Start the compass” and turn until you see “You are facing the Qibla”. If the compass doesn’t work, open your phone’s compass app and turn to the angle shown.
Qibla direction in major cities
| City | Qibla from north | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cairo | 136.1° | 1,287 km |
| Alexandria | 135.4° | 1,467 km |
| Aswan | 111.3° | 769 km |
| Riyadh | 243.8° | 790 km |
| Madinah | 176.1° | 339 km |
| Jeddah | 96.0° | 66 km |
| Dammam | 244.1° | 1,181 km |
| Dubai | 258.2° | 1,631 km |
| Abu Dhabi | 260.2° | 1,527 km |
| Kuwait City | 224.6° | 1,204 km |
| Doha | 252.6° | 1,269 km |
| Manama | 246.2° | 1,217 km |
| Muscat | 266.4° | 1,920 km |
In Cairo, for example, the Qibla is 136.1° from north — south-east, 44° east of south. In Riyadh it is 243.8°, towards the south-west.
How is it calculated?
The Earth is round, so the Qibla is the direction of the shortest path from you to the Kaaba over the Earth’s surface (a great circle), not a straight line on a flat map. The calculator uses the Kaaba’s coordinates (21.4225 N, 39.8262 E) and the standard bearing formula; the results match published values for well-known cities (London 119°, New York 58.5°).
Finding the Qibla with the sun
Twice a year the sun is directly above the Kaaba: around 27–28 May at 12:18 and 15–16 July at 12:27 Makkah time. In 2027, by our astronomical calculation, the closest days are 28 May and 16 July. At that moment anyone who can see the sun can face it and be facing the Qibla exactly — an excellent way to check the Qibla of a home or mosque.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my phone compass disagree with the angle?
Phone compasses are affected by steel, electronics and magnets and need calibrating. Step away from metal, move the phone in a figure 8, and try again. The angle itself is calculated exactly from the coordinates.
True north or magnetic north?
The angle is from true (geographic) north. The difference from magnetic north in Egypt and the Gulf is small (about 2 to 5 degrees), less than the error of a phone compass. A phone compass itself points to magnetic north, so the live compass here can be off by that amount (more in some other parts of the world).
What if I pray slightly off the Qibla?
Most scholars hold that someone far from the Kaaba only needs to face its general direction, and a slight deviation does no harm; what matters is making the effort to find it.
What about prayer times?
See prayer times for Egypt and Saudi Arabia by the official methods, and the last third of the night calculator.
Sources
- Great-circle bearing and distance formulas, with the coordinates of the Kaaba.
- Sun-over-the-Kaaba times from the solar position formulas used for prayer times: PrayTimes.org.