An anisotropic version of Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is proposed in order to provide a strength criterion for transversely isotropic rock. The concept of fabric tensor introduced by Pietruszczak & Mroz (2001) is employed to define the friction angle and cohesion as scalar functions of the fabric tensors. The anisotroy in these two strength parameters are calculated in association with the consideration of the relative rotation between the principal stress coordinate and the principal material triad. The critical plane on which the anisotropic function maximized is found by an optimization technique based on the Lagrange multiplier method. To demonstrate the performance of the anisotropic failure criterion, conventional triaxial tests on the samples having various inclinations of weakness plane are simulated and the resulting triaxial strength and dip angle of failure plane are discussed.