Qibla direction in York

How to face the Qibla in York

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 30.1° towards south: the result is the bearing of 120.1°. 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 York.

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 York, 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 York to Mecca points to 136.0° (south-east), a full 15.9° away from the true Qibla of 120.1° (south-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 43 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from York first heads south-east, and that is the direction to face.

How is the figure of 120.1° obtained? From the coordinates of York (53.9576° N, 1.0827° 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 York to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 4,984 km from York as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 4,691 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 6 h 22 min, although most pilgrims from York connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in York 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 York rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in York

On 263 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of York 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 08:11 local time.

On 64 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 20:29.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in York: at 10:18 and 10:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

York compared with other cities

Compared with London, England, United Kingdom, 280 km away, the Qibla in York is turned 1.2° further clockwise (120.1° against 119.0°), and Mecca is 190 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Leeds (35 km), prays towards 119.5°, 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 York

• Leeds119.5° · 35 km
• Doncaster119.7° · 48 km
• Hull120.8° · 54 km
• Huddersfield119.1° · 57 km
• Sheffield119.2° · 69 km
• Middlesbrough120.5° · 69 km