MECCA: Mobile phones are overheating and the pavement feels like a frying pan but for Abdul al-Assad, intense desert heat is all part of the haj pilgrimage in summertime Saudi Arabia. Even with temperatures h
Even with temperatures hitting 46 degrees Celsius, the 48-year-old Briton said the hardship only heightened his experience.
However, global warming has made Saudi's desert climate even hotter in recent years, probably exceeding the temperatures of the Prophet Muhammad's time about 1,400 years ago. "Humidity is also expected to rise making those future outdoor conditions very difficult to mitigate."Outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, water was sprayed from long poles to keep the crowds of worshippers cool.
Many pilgrims hold umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun, while others carry their folded prayer blankets above their heads. A maximum age limit has also been scrapped, opening the door to large numbers of elderly people who may be more vulnerable to the heat. The Gulf climate is so extreme that in 2021, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned parts of it could become uninhabitable by the end of the century because of rising temperatures."We have faith in our hearts," said the 40-year-old tour operator.
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