At a glance
- Astana, the capital: 231°, south-west, 4,292 km from the Kaaba.
- Almaty, the largest city: 247°, west-south-west, 4,193 km from the Kaaba.
- The Qibla turns by 45° across the country, from 201° in Oral to 247° in Almaty.
- Closest to Makkah: Aktau, 2,686 km. Farthest: Ust-Kamenogorsk, 4,895 km.
- Around Astana, a magnetic compass points about 10° east of true north (World Magnetic Model 2025, for 2026). On a needle compass, the Qibla there is about 221°.
- Prayer times in Kazakhstan: our country guide explains which calculation method to choose in the Awwab app.
Qibla from every city in Kazakhstan
Cities of 100,000 people or more, largest first.
| City | Qibla | Direction | Distance to the Kaaba (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almaty | 247° | west-south-west | 4,193 |
| Astana | 231° | south-west | 4,292 |
| Shymkent | 239° | west-south-west | 3,614 |
| Aktobe | 212° | south-south-west | 3,551 |
| Karaganda | 235° | south-west | 4,294 |
| Taraz | 241° | west-south-west | 3,772 |
| Kyzylorda | 230° | south-west | 3,506 |
| Oral | 201° | south-south-west | 3,466 |
| Pavlodar | 237° | west-south-west | 4,672 |
| Ust-Kamenogorsk | 245° | west-south-west | 4,895 |
| Semey | 243° | west-south-west | 4,766 |
| Atyrau | 205° | south-south-west | 3,055 |
| Turkestan | 236° | west-south-west | 3,579 |
| Kostanay | 219° | south-west | 4,072 |
| Petropavl | 225° | south-west | 4,451 |
| Temirtau | 234° | south-west | 4,302 |
| Kokshetau | 227° | south-west | 4,340 |
| Aktau | 207° | south-south-west | 2,686 |
| Rudnyy | 218° | south-west | 4,030 |
| Ekibastuz | 236° | south-west | 4,544 |
| Taldykorgan | 246° | west-south-west | 4,378 |
| Zhezqazghan | 230° | south-west | 3,845 |
| Zhangaözen | 210° | south-south-west | 2,720 |
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
City data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic declination: the World Magnetic Model 2025 (NOAA and the British Geological Survey).