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Find the Qibla towards the Ka'bah

The direction of the Holy Ka'bah at Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), shown on a modern 3D compass calculated with spherical geometry.

🕋 Ka'bah, Makkah: 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E

📍 Cambodia (average): ~288° (west-northwest)

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Distance: 6,983 km

Coordinates:

🟢 Live compass is running on your sensor

🧭 Static compass (desktop / no sensor) • North (N) at the top • Ka'bah: 288°

Ka'bah

KA'BAH

Phone heading

0°

North (N)

Qibla direction

288.3°

West-northwest (WNW)

🔄 Rotate manually to test 0°

North 0° East 90° South 180° West 270° Ka'bah ~288°

How to use the Qibla compass

Turn on GPS: tap «📍 Use my GPS location» or choose your province from the list.

Hold the phone flat: keep it level with the ground or on a table, away from magnetic objects (metal, magnets or speakers).

Turn with the green arrow: turn slowly until the green arrowhead and the Ka'bah symbol line up with the marker at the top of the phone.

Success signal: when the screen shows «✨ Facing the Ka'bah!» and the phone vibrates, you can begin your prayer with confidence.

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Calibrating the sensor: if the direction looks wrong, raise the phone and move it in a figure-8 gesture 2 to 3 times to reset the magnetometer.

Detailed geographic data

Great Circle Formula

Bearing (azimuth)

288.3°

West-northwest (WNW)

Straight-line distance to the Ka'bah

6,983 km

In miles:

Your location (lat / lng)

11.5564°

104.9282°

Ka'bah, Makkah

21.4225° N

39.8262° E

View the direction line on Google Maps 🗺️

☀️ Classical Islamic astronomy

Checking the Qibla by the sun

Before smartphones, Muslim scholars used the sun and shadows to find the Qibla precisely, free from any magnetic interference.

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Sunset direction in Cambodia

In Cambodia the sun sets between 245° and 295° depending on the season. The Qibla in Cambodia is ~288° (west-northwest).

💡 Rule of thumb: in Cambodia the Qibla lies slightly to the right of the sunset (about 15° to 20°).

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Rasd al-Qiblah

Twice a year the sun stands directly above the Ka'bah in Makkah (zenith):

• 27 or 28 May (~16:18 Cambodia time)
• 15 or 16 July (~16:27 Cambodia time)

At these times the shadow of any upright object points exactly towards the Qibla.

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Checking at midday

At midday (zawal / Dhuhr time) the sun is due south (180°) in the cool season or due north (0°) in the hot season.

Knowing south or north makes it easy to find the west-northwest Qibla (288°).

📖 The Quran & Islamic fiqh

The obligation of facing the Ka'bah

Facing the Ka'bah is an essential condition (shart) for your prayer to be valid.

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:144 Chapter 2 • Verse 144

فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ

«...So turn your face towards al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you are, turn your faces towards it...»

1. When the Ka'bah is out of sight

Those far from Makkah (such as in Cambodia) must face the general direction (jihah) of the Ka'bah; millimetre precision is not required (as in the hadith: «What is between the east and the west is a qiblah» — Tirmidhi).

2. Travelling by plane / train

For an obligatory prayer, try to face the Qibla at the opening takbir. If you cannot turn, or fear the prayer time will end, you may pray facing the direction of travel.

3. When in doubt or without tools

Make your best judgement (ijtihad) with what you have (the sun, the stars or a compass). Once you have done your best, the prayer is valid even if you later learn it was slightly off.