Qibla direction

Qibla Direction in Baghdad

From Baghdad, Iraq, the Kaaba lies 200° clockwise from true north — to the south, about 1,396 km away.

The compass

Face the gold square

From true north
NESWQIBLA
BaghdadMakkah200°

The gold marker is the Kaaba’s direction, not a map position.

The bearing

200°

from true north

From Baghdad, the Qibla is to the south. The Kaaba is 1,396 km away.

City coordinates
33.315° N, 44.366° E
Time zone
Asia/Baghdad
Kaaba distance
1,396 km

How to

Face the Qibla, properly

Three steps that work without special equipment — plus the one caveat about phone compasses.

01

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.

02

Turn 200° clockwise

From true north, rotate clockwise by 200°. That line points from Baghdad toward the Kaaba, 1,396 km away.

03

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 Baghdad changes it by a fraction of a degree, which does not affect your prayer.

Questions

The Qibla from Baghdad

Bearing, true north and why the angle is what it is.

What is the Qibla direction in Baghdad?

From Baghdad city centre, the Qibla is 200° clockwise from true north — toward the south. The Kaaba is about 1,396 km away on that great-circle line.

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 Baghdad 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.