Qibla direction in Makkah
172.19° from true north · south · < 1 km to the Kaaba
In Makkah the direction changes from one district to the next: face the Kaaba itself. The bearing shown here is measured from the city centre.
In short
In Makkah, face the Kaaba itself: the direction changes from one district to the next. From the city centre the bearing is 172.19° from true north, but elsewhere in the city it points another way, so neither a compass nor the sun shows the qibla here. The Kaaba is about < 1 km from the city centre.
172.19°
Three ways to face the qibla from Makkah
In Makkah the direction changes from one district to the next. Face the Kaaba itself, or follow the rows of the nearest mosque: a compass bearing from the city centre and the position of the sun do not show the way here.
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1. Phone compass
Open a compass app, move the phone in a figure of 8 to calibrate, keep it away from metal, then turn until the compass reads 172°.
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2. Start from south
Face south, then turn 8° to the left. A right angle is 90°, so 8° is about a tenth of a right angle.
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3. The sun's shadow
Twice a year the sun is directly above the Kaaba. At that moment the shadow of any upright object points directly away from the qibla.
Sun over the Kaaba, 2027
- · 12:18 PM GMT+3
- · 12:27 PM GMT+3
Keeping the compass accurate
- Remove magnetic cases and keep the phone away from laptops, speakers and steel frames.
- Hold the phone flat. A compass points to magnetic north, while the degrees on this page are measured from true north, so the reading can differ slightly.
- Compare with the direction of the rows in a nearby mosque.
Qibla direction in nearby cities
Frequently asked questions
Which way is the qibla in Makkah?
Towards the Kaaba itself, which can lie in any direction from where you stand in the city. From the city centre the bearing is 172.19° from true north.
Can I use a compass or the sun in Makkah?
Not as elsewhere. A bearing from the city centre does not hold across the city, and when the sun stands over the Kaaba it is overhead in Makkah too, so it casts no shadow to follow. Face the Kaaba, or follow the rows of the nearest mosque.
What is the difference between true north and compass north?
True north points to the geographic North Pole. A compass needle points to the magnetic pole, which is in a slightly different place, so a compass reading can differ from the degrees on this page.
Do I need to share my location to see the qibla?
No. The qibla on this page is calculated from the coordinates of the centre of Makkah, so you only need to pick a city.
Sources & method
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Kaaba coordinates · 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E
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Makkah coordinates · 21.4266; 39.8256 (city centre) · GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0
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Formula · Great-circle azimuth from true north