After reading this article I decided to google a bit to gain a bit more insight:

• The Sun News On Line (UK) has this article on Muslim burial that may interest some here, if only to confuse the issue even more for others.
• Wikipedia's entry for the Qibla is also worth a read.

I also remember hearing on radio the other day that recent studies somwhere found the niches in many mosque  walls that determinate the qiblah to be oriented incorrectly. If anyone is familiar with the study maybe they could post the link?