Qibla direction
Qibla Direction in Herat
From Herat, Afghanistan, the Kaaba lies 243° clockwise from true north — to the south-west, about 2,618 km away.
The compass
Face the gold square
The gold marker is the Kaaba’s direction, not a map position.
The bearing
243°
from true northFrom Herat, the Qibla is to the south-west. The Kaaba is 2,618 km away.
- City coordinates
- 34.353° N, 62.204° E
- Time zone
- Asia/Kabul
- Kaaba distance
- 2,618 km
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 243° clockwise
From true north, rotate clockwise by 243°. That line points from Herat toward the Kaaba, 2,618 km away.
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 Herat changes it by a fraction of a degree, which does not affect your prayer.
Questions
The Qibla from Herat
Bearing, true north and why the angle is what it is.
What is the Qibla direction in Herat?
From Herat city centre, the Qibla is 243° clockwise from true north — toward the south-west. The Kaaba is about 2,618 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 Herat 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.