# Muslims Facing Toward Mecca Prayer Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919 "2007-12-05T17:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/21 "2007-12-05T20:33:07Z")
Huh. I must just be crazy, horny, or crazy horny. I thought it looked like a vagina, as rendered by H.R. Giger. ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/22 "2007-12-05T20:47:28Z")
While traveling it is permissible to pray facing the direction of travel. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/23 "2007-12-06T08:18:39Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Huh. I must just be crazy, horny, or crazy horny. I thought it looked like a vagina, as rendered by H.R. Giger. [/QUOTE] That’s pretty much where I was going. It is undeniably yonic in appearance. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/24 "2007-12-06T16:41:43Z")
Looks vaguely like a bog seat ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/25 "2007-12-06T17:22:40Z")
don’t all directions lead to mecca? or must it be the shortest distance? I could be ‘at’ the black stone, turn my back to it and still be facing it - just from a much further position… IOW, I used mapquest to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/26 "2007-12-06T17:43:38Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] I thought it looked like a vagina, as rendered by H.R. Giger. [/QUOTE] Nah, not enough giant safety pins and spiked tentacles. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/27 "2007-12-06T19:04:11Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] According to Unca Cecil, the calculation is done by the Great Circle method. [/QUOTE] I’ve seen a computer-generated map showing continuously curved lines across a projection (not sure if it was a Mercator projection or some other kind) of the Earth’s surface specifically designed to show Muslims which way to face from any longitude or latitude. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/28 "2007-12-06T20:12:58Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] That’s pretty much where I was going. It is undeniably yonic in appearance. [/QUOTE] To be fair, it’s the silver frame that has a questionable appearance. The Black Stone itself looks like a, er, black stone. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919/29 "2007-12-06T23:36:40Z")
It is the frame, and the curtains surrounding it, yes. There are allegations out there that it was constructed this way purposely to resemble a vulva, but it’s hard to work out whether they’re true, myth-based or just completely made up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-facing-toward-mecca-prayer-question/428919.md?page=1)