Qibla direction
Qibla Direction in Karbala
The bearing from Karbala, Iraq to the Kaaba in Makkah, with a compass and a step-by-step guide.
The compass
Face the gold square
The compass could not load
The bearing
Unavailable right now
The Qibla calculation did not respond. The direction is the great-circle bearing from Karbala to the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E.
How to
Face the Qibla, properly
Three steps that work without special equipment — plus the one caveat about phone compasses.
Find true north
The bearing on this page is measured clockwise from true north. Open a compass app, hold the phone flat and calibrate with a figure-eight motion if the reading drifts.
Turn to the stated bearing
From true north, rotate clockwise by the bearing shown on this page. That line points from Karbala toward the Kaaba.
Hold the line
Choose a fixed object on the line — a doorway, a window or a mark on the wall — so you can return to the same direction for later prayers without the phone.
The bearing is a great-circle direction on a sphere. It is shown from the city centre; a few kilometres across Karbala changes it by a fraction of a degree, which does not affect your prayer.
Questions
The Qibla from Karbala
Bearing, true north and why the angle is what it is.
What is the Qibla direction in Karbala?
The Qibla is the great-circle direction from Karbala to the Kaaba in Makkah. This page shows the exact bearing once the Qibla service responds.
Is this bearing measured from true north or magnetic north?
True north. A physical or phone compass may point to magnetic north, which differs by the local magnetic declination — often a few degrees. Apply the local declination, or use the DeenDock app, which corrects for it on supported phones.
Why does the Qibla in Karbala not point straight east?
The shortest path to Makkah is a great-circle route on a sphere, not a straight line on a flat map. That is why the bearing changes with your position and rarely matches a simple compass point.