Qibla · England
Qibla direction in Doncaster
To face the Kaaba in Doncaster, turn to 119.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (29.7° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,963 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Doncaster should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 119.7°, the Qibla of Doncaster. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 120° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Doncaster
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 29.7° towards south: the result is the bearing of 119.7°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 30° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Doncaster, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Doncaster to Mecca points to 135.5° (south-east), a full 15.8° away from the true Qibla of 119.7° (south-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 42 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Doncaster first heads south-east, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 119.7° obtained? From the coordinates of Doncaster (53.5229° N, 1.1312° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Doncaster to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,963 km from Doncaster as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,671 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 20 min, although most pilgrims from Doncaster connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Doncaster run 3 hours behind Mecca in winter and 2 hours 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 Doncaster rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Doncaster
On 265 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Doncaster 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 February 2027 it happens at 08:09 local time.
On 61 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 20:27.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | 08:09 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 08:20 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 08:30 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:41 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:50 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 10:00 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 10:10 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:20 | 20:27 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:27 | 20:26 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:29 | 20:30 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:27 | 20:37 |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:18 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 10:05 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 09:46 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:29 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 09:08 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 08:51 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | 07:34 | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Doncaster: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Doncaster compared with other cities
Compared with London, England, United Kingdom, 234 km away, the Qibla in Doncaster is turned 0.7° further clockwise (119.7° against 119.0°), and Mecca is 169 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Sheffield (27 km), prays towards 119.2°, a difference of 0.5°.
Across the 75 cities in the United Kingdom on this site, the Qibla ranges from 113.7° in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom to 121.7° in Aberdeen, a spread of 8.0°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for United Kingdom.
Qibla in cities near Doncaster
- Sheffield119.2° · 27 km
- Chesterfield119.2° · 36 km
- Leeds119.5° · 41 km
- Mansfield119.3° · 44 km
- Huddersfield119.1° · 45 km
- York120.1° · 48 km
Qibla in Doncaster: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Doncaster?
It is 119.7° from true north, which is south-east: 29.7° south of east.
How far is Doncaster from Mecca?
4,963 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,671 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Doncaster?
On 265 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Doncaster not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 135.5°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Doncaster at 119.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 119.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.