Qibla by country

Qibla direction in Iraq

In Iraq, the Qibla lies between south and south-west: from 190° to 224° from true north, depending on the city.

At a glance

  • Baghdad, the capital: 200°, south-south-west, 1,400 km from the Kaaba.
  • The Qibla turns by 34° across the country, from 190° in Sumayl to 224° in Al Fāw.
  • Closest to Makkah: Samawah, 1,229 km. Farthest: 'Ākra, 1,747 km.
  • Around Baghdad, a magnetic compass points about 5° east of true north (World Magnetic Model 2025, for 2026). On a needle compass, the Qibla there is about 195°.
  • Prayer times in Iraq: our country guide explains which calculation method to choose in the Awwab app.

Qibla from every city in Iraq

Cities of 100,000 people or more, largest first.

Qibla in Iraq, in degrees clockwise from true north
CityQiblaDirectionDistance to the Kaaba (km)
Baghdad200°south-south-west1,400
Mosul192°south-south-west1,689
Erbil195°south-south-west1,692
Basra220°south-west1,285
Karbala199°south-south-west1,312
Sadr City200°south-south-west1,406
Kirkuk197°south-south-west1,624
Abu Ghraib199°south-south-west1,389
Sulaymaniyah201°south-south-west1,664
Nasiriyah212°south-south-west1,248
Najaf202°south-south-west1,261
Hillah201°south-south-west1,309
Abū al-Kahṣīb221°south-west1,285
Al Maḩmūdīyah200°south-south-west1,369
Duhok191°south1,744
Amarah214°south-west1,366
Al Diwaniyah205°south-south-west1,279
Kut207°south-south-west1,368
Al Madīnah217°south-west1,294
Kelar202°south-south-west1,563
Ramadi195°south-south-west1,377
Fallujah197°south-south-west1,382
Ash Shaţrah211°south-south-west1,277
Khānaqīn202°south-south-west1,537
Bayjī194°south-south-west1,544
Ash Sharqāt193°south-south-west1,602
Samarra197°south-south-west1,475
Al Miqdādīyah201°south-south-west1,483
Samawah208°south-south-west1,229
Baqubah200°south-south-west1,449
Sumayl190°south1,741
Simele190°south1,741
Xebat194°south-south-west1,693
Khasnahzān195°south-south-west1,696
Qeładizê199°south-south-west1,720
Al Hindīyah200°south-south-west1,311
Al Qurnah217°south-west1,308
Baḥarkah195°south-south-west1,705
Sīnah191°south1,739
Az Zubayr220°south-west1,270
Tuz Khurmatu District199°south-south-west1,569
Rānyah198°south-south-west1,721
Qal‘at Sukkar210°south-south-west1,316
An Nu‘mānīyah205°south-south-west1,355
Kufa202°south-south-west1,267
Abu Gharaq201°south-south-west1,313
Umm Qaşr222°south-west1,254
'Ākra194°south-south-west1,747
Al Fāw224°south-west1,285
Al-Musayab200°south-south-west1,337
Nāḩiyat al Iskandarīyah200°south-south-west1,351

Not on the list? Search any town or use your location on the live compass.

Reading these numbers

Each bearing is measured clockwise from true north along the shortest path over the globe, a great circle, which is how the Qibla is worked out. A flat map can mislead, because the Earth is round.

Phone compasses work best after calibrating with a figure-8, away from metal and magnetic cases. Our guide to finding the Qibla also covers the sun, the local mosque and praying when unsure.

Qibla in other countries

Bangladesh China India Indonesia Iran Japan Myanmar (Burma) Pakistan Philippines Thailand Türkiye Vietnam

All countries

City data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic declination: the World Magnetic Model 2025 (NOAA and the British Geological Survey).