Does this account for magnetic declination?

No — the bearing given is relative to true (geographic) north. If you're using a magnetic compass, you'll need to adjust for your location's magnetic declination separately.

How accurate is the location used for this calculation?

As accurate as the coordinates you provide — using "use my current location" (device GPS) generally gives a more precise bearing than picking an approximate city.

Will the Qibla direction change if I move to a different city?

Yes — the bearing is calculated fresh from whatever coordinates you provide, so it changes with your location, sometimes substantially between nearby cities.

Can I use this bearing with a compass app on my phone?

Yes — most phone compass apps show your heading relative to true north (sometimes with a toggle for magnetic vs. true north); set it to true north to match this tool's bearing directly.

Why is the bearing given from true north instead of magnetic north?

True north is a fixed geographic reference, so the calculation is location-independent and precise; magnetic north drifts over time and varies by location, so that correction is left to you or your compass app.

Is the great-circle bearing the same as the direction of a straight line drawn on a normal (Mercator) map?

No — a straight line on a flat Mercator map is a "rhumb line," not the shortest path over the globe; the great-circle bearing computed here is the true shortest-path direction, which is why it can look like an unexpected compass direction on a flat map.

Does the Qibla direction change with the seasons or time of day?

No — since it's a fixed geographic bearing between your location and the Kaaba, it doesn't change with the date, season, or time of day (unlike prayer times, which do).

What if I'm exactly at the Kaaba's location?

The bearing calculation is undefined right at the Kaaba itself, since there's no meaningful direction to face from that exact point — an edge case with no practical relevance.

Qibla Direction Calculator

About the Qibla Direction Calculator

Computes the great-circle compass bearing from any location to the Kaaba in Makkah — the direction Muslims face during prayer.

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How to use it

Select your location, or tap "use current location" to auto-fill it from your device's GPS.
Read the bearing, shown both in degrees from true north and as a 16-point compass direction (e.g., ENE).
Glance at the on-screen compass dial for a quick visual sense of which way to turn.
If using a physical magnetic compass, separately adjust for magnetic declination at your location, since the bearing shown is relative to true north.

Formula

Great-circle initial bearing formula (spherical trigonometry) from your coordinates to the Kaaba's fixed location (21.4225°N, 39.8262°E).

Worked example

From New York City (40.7128°N, 74.0060°W): approximately 58.5° from true north (roughly ENE) — a real, independently-verifiable reference value.

Qibla bearing from major cities (great-circle calculation)

Qibla bearing from major cities (great-circle calculation)
City	Coordinates	Qibla bearing (from true north)	Compass direction
New York, USA	40.7128°N, 74.0060°W	58.5°	ENE
London, UK	51.5074°N, 0.1278°W	119.0°	ESE
Jakarta, Indonesia	6.2088°S, 106.8456°E	295.2°	WNW
Los Angeles, USA	34.0522°N, 118.2437°W	23.9°	NNE
Sydney, Australia	33.8688°S, 151.2093°E	277.5°	W

Interpreting your result

This is a great-circle (shortest real-world path over the globe) bearing, which is why it often doesn't point simply "east" or "west" the way a flat map might suggest — verified against commonly-cited reference bearings for New York City (~58°), London (~119°), and Jakarta (~295°). The bearing is relative to true north; using a physical compass requires separately accounting for magnetic declination at your location.

Recommendations

• The bearing is from true north, not magnetic north — a physical compass needs a magnetic declination correction for precise alignment.
• For everyday use, most mosque-finder and prayer apps display the same great-circle bearing this tool computes.

Frequently asked questions

Because the true shortest path over a sphere (the great circle) often looks curved or points in an unexpected compass direction when projected onto a flat map — this tool computes the real spherical bearing, not a flat-map straight line.

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