Qibla direction
Qibla Direction in Mazar-i-Sharif
The bearing from Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan 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
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 Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif changes it by a fraction of a degree, which does not affect your prayer.
Questions
The Qibla from Mazar-i-Sharif
Bearing, true north and why the angle is what it is.
What is the Qibla direction in Mazar-i-Sharif?
The Qibla is the great-circle direction from Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif 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.