About the direction from London
From London the Kaaba lies to the south-east. Because the shortest path over a sphere curves toward the pole, the great-circle Qibla is more easterly than a straight line drawn on a flat Mercator map would suggest.
How to face 119° in London
- Find true north using a phone compass that reports true heading or a map aligned to north.
- Turn clockwise from north by 119°. For reference, due east is 90°, south 180°, west 270°.
- If you use a magnetic compass, adjust for local magnetic declination; NOAA's declination calculator gives the current value for London.
The figure is the great-circle initial bearing, the standard approach described by Movable Type Scripts and the same idea behind Google's Qibla Finder. See how it works for the details.
Common questions
What is the Qibla direction in London?
From the approximate city center of London, the Qibla is 119.0° clockwise from true north, roughly east-southeast.
How far is London from the Kaaba?
About 4,794 km along the great circle, the shortest path over the Earth's surface.
Does the bearing change across London?
Yes. This figure uses the city center, not your exact position. The difference depends on your distance from the center and from Makkah; it can be noticeable in cities close to the Kaaba, especially Jeddah. Use the live finder for your own location.