Qibla Direction in Houston, TX: Exact Angle & How to Find It
From Houston, Qibla points northeast — not the direction a flat map might suggest. Here's the exact bearing and how to verify it wherever you are in the city.
Why Northeast, Not East?
Houston sits at roughly 29.76°N, 95.37°W. The Kaaba in Makkah is at 21.42°N, 39.83°E. A straight line drawn on a flat map between the two might suggest facing more directly east — but that's a map-projection illusion, not the real shortest path.
The actual shortest route between two points on a sphere is a great-circle path, and for Houston's position on the globe, that path curves up toward the northeast rather than running due east. This is the same reason Qibla from most of North America points northeast rather than the direction that "looks right" on a Mercator map.
How to Verify It Yourself
- Compass app: Set your phone to true north (not magnetic) if the option is available, and face 45.6°.
- Qibla finder tool: A GPS-based tool recalculates this automatically for your exact spot in Houston, removing any manual compass math.
- Local mosque: Most Houston-area mosques — including those serving the Southwest Houston, Katy, and Northwest communities — already have their prayer direction fixed and verified; if you're praying there, follow the mihrab.
Prayer Times in Houston
Unlike Qibla direction, prayer times shift daily with the sun's position and change noticeably across the year in a city like Houston. Rather than publishing a fixed table that goes stale within days, a location-based tool that recalculates Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha for Houston's exact coordinates each day stays accurate year-round.
SabrTime's Qibla compass and prayer time tracker use your device's location automatically — free, no ads, no login.
Open SabrTimeFrequently Asked Questions
What is the exact Qibla direction from Houston, TX?
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