diff --git a/docs/raqm-sections.txt b/docs/raqm-sections.txt
index 83ca4d8..a40ae1b 100644
--- a/docs/raqm-sections.txt
+++ b/docs/raqm-sections.txt
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ raqm_add_font_feature
 raqm_layout
 raqm_get_glyphs
 raqm_get_par_resolved_direction
+raqm_get_par_detected_direction
 raqm_get_direction_at_index
 raqm_index_to_position
 raqm_position_to_index
diff --git a/src/raqm.c b/src/raqm.c
index 07eb2da..770fe2c 100644
--- a/src/raqm.c
+++ b/src/raqm.c
@@ -1488,6 +1488,37 @@ raqm_get_par_resolved_direction (raqm_t *rq)
   return rq->resolved_dir;
 }
 
+static raqm_direction_t
+_raqm_detect_direction (raqm_t *rq);
+
+/**
+ * raqm_get_par_detected_direction:
+ * @rq: a #raqm_t.
+ *
+ * Gets the natural direction of the text as detected from its content
+ * following the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm, regardless of the base
+ * direction set with raqm_set_par_direction(). Unlike
+ * raqm_get_par_resolved_direction(), this does not require raqm_layout() to
+ * have been called, and can report that the text is direction neutral.
+ *
+ * Return value:
+ * #RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR or #RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL if the text has a strong
+ * direction, or #RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT if the text is direction neutral (has
+ * no strong characters) or no text has been set. #RAQM_DIRECTION_TTB is never
+ * returned, as vertical direction is a layout property, not a property of the
+ * text content.
+ *
+ * Since: 0.11
+ */
+raqm_direction_t
+raqm_get_par_detected_direction (raqm_t *rq)
+{
+  if (!rq || !rq->text || rq->text_len == 0)
+    return RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT;
+
+  return _raqm_detect_direction (rq);
+}
+
 /**
  * raqm_get_direction_at_index:
  * @rq: a #raqm_t.
@@ -1608,6 +1639,31 @@ _raqm_bidi_itemize (raqm_t *rq, size_t *run_count)
 
   return runs;
 }
+
+static raqm_direction_t
+_raqm_detect_direction (raqm_t *rq)
+{
+  raqm_direction_t dir = RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT;
+  size_t isolate = 0;
+
+  /* UBA: P2 and P3. */
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < rq->text_len; i++)
+  {
+    SBBidiType type = SBCodepointGetBidiType (rq->text[i]);
+
+    if (type == SBBidiTypeLRI || type == SBBidiTypeRLI || type == SBBidiTypeFSI)
+      isolate++;
+    else if (type == SBBidiTypePDI && isolate > 0)
+      isolate--;
+    else if (isolate == 0 && SBBidiTypeIsStrong (type))
+    {
+      dir = (type == SBBidiTypeL) ? RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR : RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL;
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return dir;
+}
 #else
 static void
 _raqm_reverse_run (_raqm_bidi_run *run, const size_t len)
@@ -1761,6 +1817,30 @@ _raqm_bidi_itemize (raqm_t *rq, size_t *run_count)
 
   return runs;
 }
+
+static raqm_direction_t
+_raqm_detect_direction (raqm_t *rq)
+{
+  raqm_direction_t dir = RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT;
+  FriBidiParType par_type;
+  FriBidiCharType *types;
+
+  types = calloc (rq->text_len, sizeof (FriBidiCharType));
+  if (types)
+  {
+    fribidi_get_bidi_types (rq->text, rq->text_len, types);
+    par_type = fribidi_get_par_direction (types, rq->text_len);
+
+    if (par_type == FRIBIDI_PAR_LTR)
+      dir = RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR;
+    else if (par_type == FRIBIDI_PAR_RTL)
+      dir = RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL;
+
+    free (types);
+  }
+
+  return dir;
+}
 #endif
 
 static bool
diff --git a/src/raqm.h b/src/raqm.h
index 44813f5..4b60f14 100644
--- a/src/raqm.h
+++ b/src/raqm.h
@@ -183,6 +183,9 @@ raqm_get_glyphs (raqm_t *rq,
 RAQM_API raqm_direction_t
 raqm_get_par_resolved_direction (raqm_t *rq);
 
+RAQM_API raqm_direction_t
+raqm_get_par_detected_direction (raqm_t *rq);
+
 RAQM_API raqm_direction_t
 raqm_get_direction_at_index (raqm_t *rq,
                              size_t index);
diff --git a/tests/detected-direction-test.c b/tests/detected-direction-test.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8ebe3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/detected-direction-test.c
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/*
+ * Detected paragraph direction test.
+ *
+ * Verifies that raqm_get_par_detected_direction reports the natural direction
+ * of the text as detected from its content, regardless of the base direction
+ * set by the user, and reports direction-neutral text as
+ * RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT.
+ */
+
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+#include "raqm.h"
+
+static raqm_direction_t
+detect (const char *utf8, raqm_direction_t base)
+{
+  raqm_direction_t dir;
+  raqm_t *rq = raqm_create ();
+  assert (rq);
+  assert (raqm_set_text_utf8 (rq, utf8, strlen (utf8)));
+  assert (raqm_set_par_direction (rq, base));
+  dir = raqm_get_par_detected_direction (rq);
+  raqm_destroy (rq);
+  return dir;
+}
+
+int
+main (void)
+{
+  const char *ltr = "English";
+  const char *rtl = "عربي";
+  const char *neutral = "123.!";
+
+  /* Detected direction follows the content. */
+  assert (detect (ltr, RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR);
+  assert (detect (rtl, RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL);
+  assert (detect (neutral, RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+
+  /* ... regardless of the base direction set by the user. */
+  assert (detect (ltr, RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL) == RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR);
+  assert (detect (rtl, RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR) == RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL);
+  assert (detect (neutral, RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+  assert (detect (neutral, RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+
+  /* It is decided by the first strong character (Unicode Bidi rule P2). */
+  assert (detect ("A عربي", RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR);
+  assert (detect ("عربي A", RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL);
+
+  /* Leading weak/neutral characters are skipped to the first strong one. */
+  assert (detect ("123 English", RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR);
+  assert (detect ("123 عربي", RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT) == RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL);
+
+  /* A vertical base direction is a layout property, not a content one, so it
+   * is ignored and never reported back. */
+  assert (detect (ltr, RAQM_DIRECTION_TTB) == RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR);
+  assert (detect (rtl, RAQM_DIRECTION_TTB) == RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL);
+  assert (detect (neutral, RAQM_DIRECTION_TTB) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+
+  /* The direction is read from the text content whichever setter was used. */
+  {
+    /* UTF-16: Arabic ARE (U+0639 U+0631 U+0628 U+064A), all in the BMP. */
+    const uint16_t utf16_rtl[] = { 0x0639, 0x0631, 0x0628, 0x064A };
+    /* UTF-32: an astral strong-LTR character (U+1D400, outside the BMP). */
+    const uint32_t utf32_ltr[] = { 0x1D400 };
+    raqm_t *rq;
+
+    rq = raqm_create ();
+    assert (rq);
+    assert (raqm_set_text_utf16 (rq, utf16_rtl, 4));
+    assert (raqm_get_par_detected_direction (rq) == RAQM_DIRECTION_RTL);
+    raqm_destroy (rq);
+
+    rq = raqm_create ();
+    assert (rq);
+    assert (raqm_set_text (rq, utf32_ltr, 1));
+    assert (raqm_get_par_detected_direction (rq) == RAQM_DIRECTION_LTR);
+    raqm_destroy (rq);
+  }
+
+  /* Text that was never set, explicitly empty text, or a NULL handle is all
+   * direction neutral. */
+  {
+    raqm_t *rq = raqm_create ();
+    assert (rq);
+    assert (raqm_get_par_detected_direction (rq) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+    assert (raqm_set_text_utf8 (rq, "", 0));
+    assert (raqm_get_par_detected_direction (rq) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+    raqm_destroy (rq);
+  }
+  assert (raqm_get_par_detected_direction (NULL) == RAQM_DIRECTION_DEFAULT);
+
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
index c6b35b8..dc31d2e 100644
--- a/tests/meson.build
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -78,6 +78,21 @@ test(
     args: [files('GraphemeBreakTest.txt')],
 )
 
+detected_direction_test = executable(
+    'detected-direction-test',
+    'detected-direction-test.c',
+    include_directories: include_directories(['../src']),
+    link_with: libraqm_test,
+    override_options: ['b_ndebug=false'],
+    dependencies: deps,
+    install: false,
+)
+
+test(
+    'detected-direction',
+    detected_direction_test,
+)
+
 foreach filename : tests
     testname = filename.split('.')[0]