diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/ORMException.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/ORMException.php
index c156893c5..f15e0fbe1 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/ORMException.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/ORMException.php
@@ -59,6 +59,15 @@ class ORMException extends Exception
         return new self("Unrecognized field: $field");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @param string $className
+     * @param string $field
+     */
+    public static function invalidOrientation($className, $field)
+    {
+        return new self("Invalid order by orientation specified for " . $className . "#" . $field);
+    }
+
     public static function invalidFlushMode($mode)
     {
         return new self("'$mode' is an invalid flush mode.");
diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/BasicEntityPersister.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/BasicEntityPersister.php
index 4deece2e9..6b883ac13 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/BasicEntityPersister.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Persisters/BasicEntityPersister.php
@@ -906,7 +906,6 @@ class BasicEntityPersister
      * @param array $orderBy
      * @param string $baseTableAlias
      * @return string
-     * @todo Rename: _getOrderBySQL
      */
     protected final function _getOrderBySQL(array $orderBy, $baseTableAlias)
     {
@@ -917,6 +916,11 @@ class BasicEntityPersister
                 throw ORMException::unrecognizedField($fieldName);
             }
 
+            $orientation = strtoupper(trim($orientation));
+            if ($orientation != 'ASC' && $orientation != 'DESC') {
+                throw ORMException::invalidOrientation($this->_class->name, $fieldName);
+            }
+
             $tableAlias = isset($this->_class->fieldMappings[$fieldName]['inherited']) ?
                     $this->_getSQLTableAlias($this->_class->fieldMappings[$fieldName]['inherited'])
                     : $baseTableAlias;
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/EntityRepositoryTest.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/EntityRepositoryTest.php
index 719a9f993..b14ccaa1f 100644
--- a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/EntityRepositoryTest.php
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/EntityRepositoryTest.php
@@ -491,5 +491,15 @@ class EntityRepositoryTest extends \Doctrine\Tests\OrmFunctionalTestCase
         $this->_em->getConfiguration()->setDefaultRepositoryClassName("Doctrine\Tests\Models\DDC753\DDC753InvalidRepository");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-1500
+     */
+    public function testInvalidOrientation()
+    {
+        $this->setExpectedException('Doctrine\ORM\ORMException', 'Invalid order by orientation specified for Doctrine\Tests\Models\CMS\CmsUser#username');
+
+        $repo = $this->_em->getRepository('Doctrine\Tests\Models\CMS\CmsUser');
+        $repo->findBy(array('status' => 'test'), array('username' => 'INVALID'));
+    }
 }