Qibla direction in Mecca

How to face the Qibla in Mecca

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards south and move a further 7.4° towards east: the result is the bearing of 172.6°. The direction is close to due south, which makes it easy to remember.

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 Mecca, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Mecca 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

On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from Mecca to Mecca points to 172.6°, only 0.0° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 172.6° bearing remains the exact one.

The value of 172.6° is the direction in which the shortest route from 21.4266° N, 39.8256° 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 Mecca to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is less than 1 km from Mecca as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 339 km away. The distance is short enough that many pilgrims from Mecca travel to the Hijaz by road.

Clocks in Mecca run the same time as Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Mecca rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mecca

On 315 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mecca while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 12:02 local time.

On 48 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in June (30 days), for instance on 1 June 2027 at 12:19.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Mecca: at 12:18 and 12:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Mecca compared with other cities

Compared with Riyadh, 793 km away, the Qibla in Mecca is turned 71.5° further anticlockwise (172.6° against 244.2°), and Mecca is 793 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ta'if (64 km), prays towards 285.6°, a difference of 113.0°.

Across the 27 cities in Saudi Arabia on this site, the Qibla ranges from 96.4° in Jeddah to 330.8° in Jizan, a spread of 234.5°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Saudi Arabia.

Qibla in cities near Mecca

• Ta'if285.6° · 64 km
• Jeddah96.4° · 67 km
• Sabt Al Alaya313.0° · 303 km
• Bisha299.2° · 330 km
• Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah176.3° · 339 km
• Yanbu148.3° · 347 km