Qibla direction in San Francisco
From San Francisco, face 18.8° from true north, roughly north-north-east. The Kaaba in Makkah is 13,176 km away along the shortest path over the Earth.
How to face the Qibla in San Francisco
- Open the compass on your phone, or NearMasjid’s Qibla screen, and hold the phone flat.
- Turn until the heading reads 18.8°. 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 San Francisco (37.7749, -122.4194) to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the same calculation NearMasjid uses on your phone.
- Daly City 18.8°
- South San Francisco 18.9°
- Oakland 19.0°
- Alameda 19.0°
- Berkeley 19.0°
- Richmond 18.9°
- San Leandro 19.1°
- San Rafael 18.7°
Frequently asked questions
Is the Qibla in San Francisco exactly north-north-east?
Not exactly. The precise bearing is 18.8° from true north; 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.