Alif › Qibla
QIBLA
Finding the Qibla
The Qibla is the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah. On a round Earth, it is the direction of the shortest path to the Kaaba, measured as an angle clockwise from true north.
How the angle is calculated
Take three points on the globe: where you stand, the Kaaba and the North Pole. They form a spherical triangle; the angle at your position, between north and the Kaaba, is the Qibla angle. Diyanet describes it the same way.
Formula (φ latitude, λ longitude, k = Kaaba)
q = atan2( sin(λk − λ), cos φ · tan φk − sin φ · cos(λk − λ) )
Kaaba coordinates used by Alif: 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E.
Qibla from major cities
| City | Qibla (from true north) | Distance to Makkah |
|---|---|---|
| İstanbul | 151.6° SSE | 2,405 km |
| Ankara | 160.2° SSE | 2,162 km |
| İzmir | 143.7° SE | 2,246 km |
| London | 119.0° ESE | 4,794 km |
| Berlin | 136.7° SE | 4,130 km |
| Paris | 119.2° ESE | 4,496 km |
| Amsterdam | 125.6° SE | 4,553 km |
| Oslo | 139.0° SE | 4,851 km |
| New York | 58.5° ENE | 10,306 km |
| Toronto | 54.6° NE | 10,496 km |
| Los Angeles | 23.9° NNE | 13,424 km |
| Cairo | 136.1° SE | 1,287 km |
| Dubai | 258.2° WSW | 1,631 km |
| Karachi | 267.7° W | 2,800 km |
| Kuala Lumpur | 292.5° WNW | 6,974 km |
| Jakarta | 295.2° WNW | 7,920 km |
| Sydney | 277.5° W | 13,236 km |
Calculated with the formula above. Bearings are from true north; a magnetic compass points to magnetic north, which can differ by a few degrees depending on where you are.
The sun over the Kaaba
Twice a year the sun stands almost directly above the Kaaba: around 28 May at 12:18 and 16 July at 12:27, Türkiye time (09:18 and 09:27 UTC). Where the sun is up at that moment, a shadow of anything standing straight points away from the Qibla, so facing the sun means facing the Qibla.
Reading a compass well
- Hold your iPhone flat and away from metal, magnets and speakers.
- If the needle drifts, move the phone in a figure 8 to calibrate it.
- Inside buildings, check against the map view: the line on the map shows the shortest path to the Kaaba.
In Alif the compass taps gently when you face the Qibla.
Sources
- Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Vakit Hesaplama: Kıble açısı (definition)
- Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Vakit Hesaplama: Dünya Kıble Günü (sun over the Kaaba)
- adhan-swift (Batoul Apps, MIT): Qibla calculation and Kaaba coordinates