Qibla Direction from Pakistan: Degrees for Every Major City

From Pakistan, the Qibla is a little south of due west. The exact bearing from true north is 267.7° in Karachi, 260.4° in Lahore and 255.9° in Islamabad. Across the country it ranges from about 253.7° to 267.7°, so in every city you face roughly west, turned slightly to the left (south).

Qibla bearing for every major city

Bearings are measured clockwise from true north: 270° would be exactly west. Distances are along the shortest path over the Earth’s surface to the Kaaba in Makkah.

Karachi is the closest city on the list, about 2,800 km from Makkah, while Gilgit is the furthest at about 3,704 km.

Why it isn’t exactly west

Makkah lies at about 21.4° north, further south than every city in Pakistan. So the line to the Kaaba points west and somewhat south. Northern cities like Gilgit, which are further from Makkah’s latitude, turn a little more to the south than Karachi does.

The correct direction follows a great circle, the shortest path across a globe, not a straight line on a flat map. Over a few thousand kilometres the two differ by a few degrees, which is why older mosques built by eye sometimes face slightly off. Scholars agree that facing the general direction is enough when you are far from the Kaaba, so a small error does not invalidate a prayer.

How to find the Qibla with a compass

1. Hold the compass flat, away from phones, steel tables, cars and electric wiring, which can pull the needle.
2. Turn the compass until the needle lines up with N.
3. Find your city’s bearing from the table, for example 260° for Lahore.
4. Count clockwise from north to that number. That line points to the Qibla.
5. Mark the direction on the floor or wall so you don’t have to repeat it.

A note on magnetic north

A compass points to magnetic north, which is not exactly the same as true north. The difference, called magnetic declination, is small in Pakistan: only a few degrees east. For prayer that is close enough to ignore, but if you are setting out a new mosque, use a surveyor’s figure or a map-based tool.

Using a phone or the sun

Most phones have a compass sensor. Our Qibla finder uses your location to calculate the bearing and points the way on screen. Calibrate the phone first by moving it in a figure-of-eight, and keep it away from magnets and metal cases.

The sun also helps. Twice a year, around 27–28 May and 15–16 July, the sun stands directly over the Kaaba at Dhuhr time in Makkah, which is a little after 2 PM in Pakistan. At that moment, the direction of the sun anywhere in Pakistan is the Qibla. On any day, the sun at Maghrib sets roughly in the west, which gets you close.

Setting up a prayer space at home

Once you know the bearing, mark it permanently. A small arrow on a wall, a line of tape on the floor or simply laying the prayer mat at the right angle saves checking every time. Rooms in Pakistani houses are rarely aligned exactly to the compass, so the mat will often sit at a slight angle to the walls. That is normal. If a room’s walls run close to the Qibla direction, facing the wall is usually good enough, since a difference of a few degrees does not matter.

Praying in a new place

In a hotel or office, ask staff; many rooms in Pakistan have a Qibla marker. If you cannot find out and have made an honest effort, scholars agree your prayer is valid even if you later learn the direction was off. For prayer times in each city, see our prayer times pages.

Frequently asked questions