Qibla · England
Qibla direction in Norwich
To face the Kaaba in Norwich, turn to 121.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (31.6° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,772 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Norwich should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 121.6°, the Qibla of Norwich. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 122° 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 Norwich
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 31.6° towards south: the result is the bearing of 121.6°. 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 Norwich.
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 Norwich, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Norwich is a handy reference, because the 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
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Norwich to Mecca points to 136.2° (south-east), 14.6° away from the correct 121.6°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 35 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.
How is the figure of 121.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Norwich (52.6278° N, 1.2983° E) 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 Norwich to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,772 km from Norwich as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,481 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 07 min, although most pilgrims from Norwich connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Norwich 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 Norwich rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Norwich
On 273 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Norwich 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 47 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 | — |
| 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 Norwich: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Norwich compared with other cities
Compared with London, England, United Kingdom, 158 km away, the Qibla in Norwich is turned 2.6° further clockwise (121.6° against 119.0°), and Mecca is 21 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Ipswich (64 km), prays towards 120.9°, a difference of 0.7°.
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 Norwich
- Ipswich120.9° · 64 km
- Colchester120.5° · 86 km
- Cambridge, England, United Kingdom119.9° · 93 km
- Peterborough119.8° · 105 km
- Chelmsford119.9° · 114 km
- Southend-on-Sea120.0° · 128 km
Qibla in Norwich: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Norwich?
It is 121.6° from true north, which is south-east: 31.6° south of east.
How far is Norwich from Mecca?
4,772 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,481 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Norwich?
On 273 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 Norwich not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 136.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Norwich at 121.6°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 121.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.