Qibla direction

Qibla Direction in Rotterdam

From Rotterdam, Netherlands, the Kaaba lies 125° clockwise from true north — to the south-east, about 4,549 km away.

The compass

Face the gold square

From true north
NESWQIBLA
RotterdamMakkah125°

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

The bearing

125°

from true north

From Rotterdam, the Qibla is to the south-east. The Kaaba is 4,549 km away.

City coordinates
51.924° N, 4.478° E
Time zone
Europe/Amsterdam
Kaaba distance
4,549 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 125° clockwise

From true north, rotate clockwise by 125°. That line points from Rotterdam toward the Kaaba, 4,549 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 Rotterdam changes it by a fraction of a degree, which does not affect your prayer.

Questions

The Qibla from Rotterdam

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

What is the Qibla direction in Rotterdam?

From Rotterdam city centre, the Qibla is 125° clockwise from true north — toward the south-east. The Kaaba is about 4,549 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 Rotterdam 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.