Qibla direction in Chicago
From Chicago, face 48.7° from true north, roughly north-east. The Kaaba in Makkah is 11,149 km away along the shortest path over the Earth.
How to face the Qibla in Chicago
- Open the compass on your phone, or NearMasjid’s Qibla screen, and hold the phone flat.
- Turn until the heading reads 48.7°. NearMasjid shows “Facing Qibla” when you are lined up.
- Compass apps point to magnetic north unless set to true north; NearMasjid uses true north.
Face the Qibla anywhere
NearMasjid shows the Qibla on a compass or on a map, with the bearing from your location, your current heading and the distance to Makkah. It tells you when you are facing the Qibla.
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How this is calculated
The bearing is the initial great-circle direction from the centre of Chicago (41.8500, -87.6500) to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the same calculation NearMasjid uses on your phone.
- Cicero 48.6°
- Oak Park 48.6°
- Berwyn 48.6°
- Oak Lawn 48.6°
- Evanston 48.6°
- Skokie 48.6°
- Des Plaines 48.5°
- Orland Park 48.5°
Frequently asked questions
Is the Qibla in Chicago exactly north-east?
Not exactly. The precise bearing is 48.7° from true north; north-east is the nearest compass point.
Why isn’t the Qibla simply south-east from the UK or east from the US?
The Qibla follows the shortest path over the curved Earth (a great circle), so on a flat map it can look different from a straight line.