Locate the Qibla anywhere in the world

The Qibla is the direction Muslims worldwide face when they pray. It points to the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The direction depends on where you stand: from London, you look south-east; from New York, north-east. This page instantly computes the direction from your position and shows it on an interactive compass.

How the compass works

The compass uses two pieces of information to guide you. The first is your geographic position, either from your browser's geolocation or from the city you type in. The second is your phone's orientation, read from its magnetic sensors. Once both are known, the wind rose rotates so that the fixed green arrow at the top points to the Qibla: turn yourself until the arrow points straight ahead.

On a computer or a device without orientation sensors, the compass is still useful: it shows the direction as degrees from north (for example 118°, south-east) and the distance to Mecca. If you know where north is, you can work out the Qibla from there.

How accurate it is

The bearing is computed with the great-circle formula, which is the shortest path along the surface of the Earth between two points. This is the method used by navigators and by the main digital Qibla compasses. Accuracy is within a degree as long as your position is precise. The phone's magnetic compass depends on how well it is calibrated: if the values look noisy, move away from metal or electronics and draw a figure-eight with the phone.

Wherever you are

The Qibla compass works anywhere in the world, from your living room, a hotel abroad, an airport, or a highway rest area. No account is needed, no data is sent: the whole calculation happens inside your browser. To find a mosque near you afterwards, come back to the Mosque Finder home page.