diff --git a/src/scripting/lua_kernel_base.cpp b/src/scripting/lua_kernel_base.cpp
index 2af30827476a..42dd8f3824dd 100644
--- a/src/scripting/lua_kernel_base.cpp
+++ b/src/scripting/lua_kernel_base.cpp
@@ -550,6 +550,7 @@ lua_kernel_base::lua_kernel_base()
 		{ "distance_between",		&lua_map_location::intf_distance_between		},
 		{ "get_in_basis_N_NE",		&lua_map_location::intf_get_in_basis_N_NE		},
 		{ "get_relative_dir",		&lua_map_location::intf_get_relative_dir		},
+		{ "read_direction",         &lua_map_location::intf_read_direction          },
 		{ nullptr, nullptr }
 	};
 
diff --git a/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.cpp b/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.cpp
index 7b1af0f60e00..ddd9e90075c0 100644
--- a/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.cpp
+++ b/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
 
 namespace lua_map_location {
 
+int intf_read_direction(lua_State* L)
+{
+	map_location::DIRECTION dir = map_location::parse_direction(luaL_checkstring(L, 1));
+	if(dir == map_location::NDIRECTIONS) {
+		lua_pushnil(L);
+	} else {
+		lua_push(L, map_location::write_direction(dir));
+	}
+	return 1;
+}
+
 /**
  * Expose map_location::get_direction function to lua
  * Arg 1: a location
diff --git a/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.hpp b/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.hpp
index c8dd64d40e6f..46d31d897ec5 100644
--- a/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.hpp
+++ b/src/scripting/lua_map_location_ops.hpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ struct lua_State;
 
 namespace lua_map_location {
 
+int intf_read_direction(lua_State* L);
 int intf_get_direction(lua_State*);
 int intf_vector_sum(lua_State*);
 int intf_vector_diff(lua_State*);