Jerusalem Direction Calculator

Find your great-circle direction toward Jerusalem

This Jerusalem direction calculator converts the latitude and longitude of your location into a mizrach bearing: the initial direction of the great-circle path toward Jerusalem. Rather than estimating from a flat map or choosing a general eastward direction, you receive a repeatable angle measured clockwise from true north and a plain-language compass reading.

A coordinate-based Jerusalem bearing can help with prayer orientation, a synagogue or classroom plan, travel preparation, site notes, or discussions where everyone needs to refer to the same line. Because the answer is tied to one stated starting point, it is more useful than a city-wide rule of thumb when the exact location matters.

Use this guide to enter a reliable coordinate pair, understand what the angle describes, and recognize practical factors that the geographic calculation does not include.

What Jerusalem-facing question does this calculator answer?

The Jerusalem direction calculator answers one geographic question: from the coordinates entered here, what initial compass bearing points along the great-circle route to Jerusalem? It does not choose a route, identify a nearby landmark, or tell you how to navigate streets. Its output is a facing direction from your particular position.

State the location before calculating. “From this building entrance, what bearing faces Jerusalem?” is more precise than “Which way is Jerusalem from this neighborhood?” That distinction matters because the latitude and longitude must describe the point from which you intend to orient yourself.

The result is especially helpful when comparing locations. Two venues can share a broad eastern orientation while still have different degree bearings, and recording both coordinate pairs avoids confusing one site’s answer with another’s.

How to use the Jerusalem direction calculator

To calculate a Jerusalem bearing, enter the two decimal-degree coordinates for the place where you want to stand or plan an orientation. Latitude identifies north or south position; longitude identifies east or west position. Both values must refer to the same location.

1. Enter Latitude (°): for the point from which you want to face Jerusalem.
2. Enter Longitude (°): for that identical point, retaining its positive or negative sign.
3. Click Find Jerusalem Bearing to calculate the mizrach direction.
4. Read the degree value and the compass word together before using the result.

For multiple places, save each latitude-longitude pair beside its result. Re-entering the same pair will reproduce the same bearing, while a different coordinate pair represents a different starting point and should be calculated separately.

Choose accurate coordinates for a Jerusalem bearing

Accurate Jerusalem orientation starts with accurate coordinates. The calculator has only two fields, so a transposed number, omitted minus sign, or coordinate taken from a different address can change the direction substantially.

• Decimal degrees: enter decimal degrees, not degrees-minutes-seconds notation. Convert another format before using these fields.
• Latitude first: latitude ranges from -90° to 90°; longitude ranges from -180° to 180°. Keeping that order prevents a common swap.
• Hemisphere signs: positive and negative values distinguish north from south and east from west. Do not remove a sign supplied by your coordinate source.
• One physical point: use both values from the same pin, address, or measured point rather than combining data from two sources.

For a room or building, decide how precise the starting point needs to be. A general address may be adequate for a broad orientation; a large campus, a site near a property boundary, or a formal layout review may justify coordinates for the particular entrance or space. Testing nearby points is a sensible way to see whether the bearing is stable across the area you care about.

How the Jerusalem great-circle bearing is calculated

The Jerusalem direction calculator uses spherical trigonometry to calculate an initial bearing from your location to the fixed Jerusalem reference coordinates used by the page. It converts the entered latitude and longitude to radians, finds the longitude difference to Jerusalem, applies atan2, and normalizes the result to a value from 0° up to but not including 360°.

In the formula below, ${\phi }_1$ is your latitude, ${\phi }_2$ is the Jerusalem reference latitude, and $\Delta \lambda$ is the reference longitude minus your longitude:

This is an initial great-circle bearing, not an arithmetic combination of the coordinate values. The calculator then assigns the angle to the nearest of eight compass labels: north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, or northwest. The label is convenient for conversation, while the degree reading preserves the calculation’s finer detail.

Great-circle geometry also explains why a flat-map impression can be misleading over long distances. The bearing describes the direction to begin facing at your own coordinates; it is not a claim that the same compass heading remains correct everywhere along a journey.

Check a Jerusalem bearing before relying on it

When checking a Jerusalem bearing, the most useful verification is geographic rather than a made-up numerical total. Confirm first that the submitted latitude and longitude identify the intended location, then consider whether the returned compass quadrant makes sense for that location relative to Jerusalem.

If the answer is surprising, check the coordinate source and the hemisphere signs before assuming the calculation is wrong. A west-longitude value entered as east, for example, describes a completely different place. Likewise, latitude and longitude entered in reverse order can place the starting point far from the intended site.

You can also calculate a nearby point, such as another entrance or the opposite side of a large building. Similar results indicate that the local orientation is stable; a meaningful difference tells you that the chosen point should be documented carefully. This comparison uses actual bearings produced by the calculator rather than mixing coordinates and unrelated values into a false check.

Compare nearby Jerusalem directions with real coordinate pairs

To compare Jerusalem directions across a site, run the calculator once for each genuine location instead of changing one coordinate by an arbitrary percentage. Latitude and longitude are positions, not quantities that can be scaled into “conservative” or “aggressive” scenarios.

Keep the longitude fixed only when you are deliberately comparing points due north or south of one another, and keep the latitude fixed only for an intentional east-west comparison. In ordinary use, enter the full coordinate pair for each point. The degree outputs then show the actual geographic difference between the places.

For a practical record, note the point’s name, latitude, longitude, calculated bearing, and the date or source of the coordinates. That provides a clear audit trail for a building plan, study exercise, or later revisit without implying that a generic sensitivity table represents a real Jerusalem-facing result.

Interpret the degree and compass result toward Jerusalem

The Jerusalem result is expressed as degrees clockwise from true north. A result near 0° is northward, near 90° is eastward, near 180° is southward, and near 270° is westward. The adjacent compass word summarizes the same value in a broader eight-point category.

Use the degree value when a specific alignment matters, such as marking a line on a plan or comparing readings from several rooms. Use the compass word as a quick orientation check. A northeast result, for instance, means the calculated bearing lies in the northeast sector; it does not mean every direction called northeast is equally precise.

Remember that the result is a true geographic bearing. A magnetic compass may require its own local interpretation, and a phone compass can be affected by calibration or nearby metal. The page does not perform magnetic-declination adjustments.

Limits of this Jerusalem direction estimate

This Jerusalem direction calculator provides a geographic great-circle bearing, so it is best understood as a precise starting reference rather than a complete on-site instruction. The calculation depends on the coordinates supplied and does not model every practical or religious consideration.

• Coordinate accuracy: the result is only as accurate as the point entered. Confirm that the pin or address is the place you mean.
• True versus magnetic north: the output is a calculated geographic bearing, not a calibrated magnetic-compass correction.
• Local setting: walls, entrances, furniture, sightlines, and obstructions are outside the scope of the spherical calculation.
• Community practice: customs and guidance concerning prayer orientation are not determined by this tool.
• Displayed precision: a degree value can be mathematically precise while the real-world positioning of a room or device remains approximate.

If you are using the result for prayer orientation or a consequential layout decision, combine it with a trusted map, local conditions, and the practice followed by your community. The value of the calculator is that it makes the geographic relationship to Jerusalem explicit, consistent, and easy to document.