Qibla Direction Finder

How to find the Qibla

1. Choose your city or press Use my location for the exact direction from where you are.
2. On a phone, press Use phone compass and hold the phone flat. Turn slowly until the black Kaaba sign points to the top of the screen; the screen says when you are facing the Qibla.
3. Without a compass, use the angle: it is measured clockwise from true north. From Pakistan the Qibla is towards the west, a little to the south — about 255° to 265° depending on the city.

How accurate is it?

The direction is calculated along the shortest path on the globe (the great circle) from your place to the Kaaba in Makkah (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). The calculation is exact; the limit is your phone's compass. Phone compasses can be off by several degrees near metal, cars, speakers or electric wiring. Move away from them and wave the phone in a figure-of-eight to calibrate it.

Using the sun

Twice a year, on about 28 May and 16 July, the sun is directly above the Kaaba at Dhuhr time in Makkah (around 2:18 pm Pakistan time on 28 May and 2:27 pm on 16 July). At that moment, the shadow of a straight stick points directly away from the Qibla — a simple way to check your mosque's direction.

For a new mosque, ask a qualified person to confirm the direction on site.