Qibla · England
Qibla direction in Southampton
To face the Kaaba in Southampton, turn to 117.0° measured clockwise from true north, which is south-east (27.0° south of east). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 4,841 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Southampton should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 117.0°, the Qibla of Southampton. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 117° 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 Southampton
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 27.0° towards south: the result is the bearing of 117.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 27° 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 Southampton, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. Any of the mosques of Southampton 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
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Southampton to Mecca points to 132.2° (south-east), a full 15.2° away from the true Qibla of 117.0° (south-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 39 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Southampton first heads south-east, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 117.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Southampton (50.9040° N, 1.4043° 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 Southampton to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 4,841 km from Southampton as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,561 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 12 min, although most pilgrims from Southampton connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Southampton 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 Southampton rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Southampton
On 259 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Southampton 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 07:58 local time.
On 71 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 20:13.
| 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 | 07:58 | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 08:10 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 08:22 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 09:35 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 09:46 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 09:58 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 10:09 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 10:21 | 20:13 |
| 15 June 2027 | 10:27 | 20:11 |
| 1 July 2027 | 10:30 | 20:16 |
| 15 July 2027 | 10:27 | 20:23 |
| 1 August 2027 | 10:16 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 10:03 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 09:42 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 09:23 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 09:00 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 08:42 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 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 Southampton: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Southampton compared with other cities
Compared with London, England, United Kingdom, 112 km away, the Qibla in Southampton is turned 2.0° further anticlockwise (117.0° against 119.0°), and Mecca is 47 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Portsmouth (25 km), prays towards 117.3°, a difference of 0.2°.
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 Southampton
- Portsmouth117.3° · 25 km
- Bournemouth116.3° · 39 km
- Basingstoke117.7° · 46 km
- Reading118.0° · 68 km
- Worthing118.1° · 73 km
- Woking118.3° · 75 km
Qibla in Southampton: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Southampton?
It is 117.0° from true north, which is south-east: 27.0° south of east.
How far is Southampton from Mecca?
4,841 km in a straight line over the globe, and 4,561 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Southampton?
On 259 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 Southampton not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 132.2°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Southampton at 117.0°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 117.0° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.