Qibla direction in Rome

How to face the Qibla in Rome

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 33.3° towards south: the result is the bearing of 123.3°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Rome.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Rome, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Rome is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Rome to Mecca points to 131.6° (south-east), 8.3° away from the correct 123.3°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 9 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.

The value of 123.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 41.8919° N, 12.5113° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Rome to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 3,417 km from Rome as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,157 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 31 min, although most pilgrims from Rome connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Rome run 2 hours behind Mecca in winter and 1 hour behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Rome rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Rome

On 323 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Rome while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 15 January 2027 it happens at 08:06 local time.

The sun is never opposite the Qibla of Rome during daylight, so the shadow method does not apply here; the left-hand column is the one to use.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Rome: at 11:18 and 11:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Rome compared with other cities

The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Acilia-Castel Fusano-Ostia Antica (21 km), prays towards 122.9°, a difference of 0.4°.

Across the 42 cities in Italy on this site, the Qibla ranges from 115.2° in Cagliari to 130.0° in Trieste, a spread of 14.8°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Italy.

Qibla in cities near Rome

• Acilia-Castel Fusano-Ostia Antica122.9° · 21 km
• Terni124.4° · 75 km
• Perugia124.8° · 136 km
• Pescara126.4° · 153 km
• Arezzo124.6° · 182 km
• Naples124.2° · 187 km