diff --git a/gdb/config.in b/gdb/config.in
index cb886ba8e1a..9c5c1ce834d 100644
--- a/gdb/config.in
+++ b/gdb/config.in
@@ -649,6 +649,10 @@
 /* Define as the return type of ptrace. */
 #undef PTRACE_TYPE_RET
 
+/* Define if the python lib directory should be relocated when GDB is moved.
+   */
+#undef PYTHON_LIBDIR_RELOCATABLE
+
 /* Define if the python directory should be relocated when GDB is moved. */
 #undef PYTHON_PATH_RELOCATABLE
 
@@ -752,6 +756,10 @@
 /* Define if the PPC simulator is being linked in. */
 #undef WITH_PPC_SIM
 
+/* Directory containing Python's standard libraries from --with-python-libdir.
+   */
+#undef WITH_PYTHON_LIBDIR
+
 /* Define if --with-python provides a path, either directly or via
    python-config.py --exec-prefix. */
 #undef WITH_PYTHON_PATH
diff --git a/gdb/configure b/gdb/configure
index 72ffad8d37b..a595ca3512b 100755
--- a/gdb/configure
+++ b/gdb/configure
@@ -887,6 +887,7 @@ with_libexpat_prefix
 with_mpfr
 with_libmpfr_prefix
 with_python
+with_python_libdir
 with_guile
 enable_source_highlight
 with_intel_pt
@@ -1619,6 +1620,8 @@ Optional Packages:
   --without-libmpfr-prefix     don't search for libmpfr in includedir and libdir
   --with-python[=PYTHON]  include python support
                           (auto/yes/no/<python-program>)
+  --with-python-libdir[=DIR]
+                          search for python's libraries in DIR
   --with-guile[=GUILE]    include guile support
                           (auto/yes/no/<guile-version>/<pkg-config-program>)
   --with-intel-pt         include Intel Processor Trace support (auto/yes/no)
@@ -10611,6 +10614,21 @@ _ACEOF
   fi
 fi
 
+
+# Check whether --with-python-libdir was given.
+if test "${with_python_libdir+set}" = set; then :
+  withval=$with_python_libdir;
+else
+
+    # If no python libdir is specified then select one based on
+    # python's prefix path.
+    if test -n "${python_prefix}"; then
+      with_python_libdir=${python_prefix}/lib
+    fi
+
+fi
+
+
 if test "${have_libpython}" != no; then
 
 $as_echo "#define HAVE_PYTHON 1" >>confdefs.h
@@ -10621,6 +10639,37 @@ $as_echo "#define HAVE_PYTHON 1" >>confdefs.h
   CONFIG_INSTALL="$CONFIG_INSTALL install-python"
   ENABLE_CFLAGS="$ENABLE_CFLAGS \$(SUBDIR_PYTHON_CFLAGS)"
 
+  if test -n "${with_python_libdir}"; then
+
+cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define WITH_PYTHON_LIBDIR "${with_python_libdir}"
+_ACEOF
+
+
+  if test "x$exec_prefix" = xNONE || test "x$exec_prefix" = 'x${prefix}'; then
+     if test "x$prefix" = xNONE; then
+     	test_prefix=/usr/local
+     else
+	test_prefix=$prefix
+     fi
+  else
+     test_prefix=$exec_prefix
+  fi
+  value=0
+  case ${with_python_libdir} in
+     "${test_prefix}"|"${test_prefix}/"*|\
+	'${exec_prefix}'|'${exec_prefix}/'*)
+     value=1
+     ;;
+  esac
+
+cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define PYTHON_LIBDIR_RELOCATABLE $value
+_ACEOF
+
+
+  fi
+
   # Flags needed to compile Python code (taken from python-config --cflags).
   # We cannot call python-config directly because it will output whatever was
   # used when compiling the Python interpreter itself, including flags which
diff --git a/gdb/configure.ac b/gdb/configure.ac
index 0ca169101b3..38a4e5a04b7 100644
--- a/gdb/configure.ac
+++ b/gdb/configure.ac
@@ -891,6 +891,24 @@ else
   fi
 fi
 
+dnl Use --with-python-libdir to control where GDB looks for the Python
+dnl libraries.
+dnl
+dnl If this is not given then the default will be based on the value
+dnl passed to --with-python, which is in the python_prefix variable.
+dnl If the --with-python option wasn't given then the default value in
+dnl python_prefix is based on running the 'gdb/python/python-config
+dnl --exec-prefix' script.
+AC_ARG_WITH(python-libdir,
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--with-python-libdir@<:@=DIR@:>@], [search for python's libraries in DIR]),
+  [],[
+    # If no python libdir is specified then select one based on
+    # python's prefix path.
+    if test -n "${python_prefix}"; then
+      with_python_libdir=${python_prefix}/lib
+    fi
+  ])
+
 if test "${have_libpython}" != no; then
   AC_DEFINE(HAVE_PYTHON, 1, [Define if Python interpreter is being linked in.])
   CONFIG_OBS="$CONFIG_OBS \$(SUBDIR_PYTHON_OBS)"
@@ -899,6 +917,12 @@ if test "${have_libpython}" != no; then
   CONFIG_INSTALL="$CONFIG_INSTALL install-python"
   ENABLE_CFLAGS="$ENABLE_CFLAGS \$(SUBDIR_PYTHON_CFLAGS)"
 
+  if test -n "${with_python_libdir}"; then
+    AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(WITH_PYTHON_LIBDIR, "${with_python_libdir}",
+		       [Directory containing Python's standard libraries from --with-python-libdir.])
+    GDB_AC_DEFINE_RELOCATABLE(PYTHON_LIBDIR, [python lib], ${with_python_libdir})
+  fi
+
   # Flags needed to compile Python code (taken from python-config --cflags).
   # We cannot call python-config directly because it will output whatever was
   # used when compiling the Python interpreter itself, including flags which
diff --git a/gdb/main.c b/gdb/main.c
index d5e5a678baa..a03ed8117ab 100644
--- a/gdb/main.c
+++ b/gdb/main.c
@@ -575,14 +575,9 @@ captured_main_1 (struct captured_main_args *context)
   gdb_datadir = relocate_gdb_directory (GDB_DATADIR,
 					GDB_DATADIR_RELOCATABLE);
 
-#ifdef WITH_PYTHON_PATH
-  {
-    /* For later use in helping Python find itself.  */
-    char *tmp = concat (WITH_PYTHON_PATH, SLASH_STRING, "lib", (char *) NULL);
-
-    python_libdir = relocate_gdb_directory (tmp, PYTHON_PATH_RELOCATABLE);
-    xfree (tmp);
-  }
+#ifdef WITH_PYTHON_LIBDIR
+  python_libdir = relocate_gdb_directory (WITH_PYTHON_LIBDIR,
+					  PYTHON_LIBDIR_RELOCATABLE);
 #endif
 
 #ifdef RELOC_SRCDIR
