Intense heat forces new reflection on Gulf tourism, business plans
In the UAE, mosques have been instructed to limit their Friday sermons and prayers to no more than 10 minutes because of the scorching sun
Medical team members evacuate a Muslim pilgrim to Saudi Arabia affected by the heat. (Getty Images)
From Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea resorts to Dubai’s neighborhood mosques, the season’s searing temperatures are forcing nations across the Middle East to reevaluate the impact climate change could have on their people and economies.
Following the deaths of more than 1,300 pilgrims who made the hajj this month to Mecca, authorities across the region are taking steps to protect worshippers from heat that often exceeds 50 Celsius (122 F).
In the UAE, mosques have been instructed to limit their Friday sermons and prayers to no more than 10 minutes because of the scorching sun.
The New York Times published a story on Thursday suggesting that global warming could undermine some of the ambitious tourism, sports and industrial projects now underway across the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia’s Neom mega-development and the string of luxury hotels under construction on the shores of the Red Sea.
In North Africa, the unrelenting dry weather has depressed harvests of fruit for export while requiring Morocco to spend record sums on wheat imports, Bloomberg reports.