Arabic countries in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq, Oman, and Qatar are notoriously hot, especially in summer, with temperatures frequently exceeding 50°C (122°F) in desert regions, though some areas like the southern highlands offer cooler climates. These regions experience intense desert heat, high humidity in coastal zones, and record-breaking temperatures are common.
Saudi Arabia has the hottest climate in the Middle East. The average annual temperature reaches 28 degrees Celsius. The eastern parts of the country are much hotter. The Rub' al Khali desert, for example, is the hottest region in the world, with temperatures above 50 °C.
What Are the Highest and Lowest Temperatures Recorded in Saudi Arabia? The highest temperature recorded in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was fifty-three °C in the city of al-Qaisumah, located in the Eastern Province, during the summer of 2021.
Turaif | one of the coldest places in Saudi Arabia
The city on the northern border of the country holds the record for recording the coldest temperature ever in Saudi Arabia, that being when the mercury dipped to -12°C.
Islam's holiest city is also the world's hottest city. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is the warmest inhabited place on earth.
You might be wondering about how much external heat a person can tolerate. Live Science writes that most humans can endure about 10 minutes in 140–degree heat before suffering from hyperthermia, a lethal form of which is the aforementioned heat stroke.
1. Qatar. At number one is Qatar, which leads in per capita prosperity in the Arab world. In the IMF's World Economic Outlook mapping (April 2025), Qatar's GDP per capita (PPP) is USD 121,610 (121.61 thousand).
The weather is totally predictable, in the summer it's hot and sunny every day and in the winter, it's warm and sunny every day.
In the Middle East, the data shows that Israeli people are considered the most attractive, followed by Lebanese and Armenian people.
The desert climate of Saudi Arabia is generally very dry and very hot. Saudi Arabia's climate is more temperate from October to April, with evening temperatures between 16°C and 21°C (61°F and 70°F).
Saudi Arabia is the world's only country which does not have a natural river, and 95% of its territory consists solely of deserts. As a semi-desert country, only 1.45% of Saudi land is arable and it has virtually no rainfall to speak of.
Therefore, it makes sense that because humans and animals are adapted to breathing 21% oxygen in air, anything much different from 21% would be hazardous to our health.
A heat burst is claimed to have sent the air temperature to near 140 °F (60 °C), supposedly causing cotton crops to become desiccated and drying out vegetation. While it is possible the reading may have exceeded 100 °F (38 °C), the thermometers designed to detect temperatures up to 140 °F (60 °C) broke.
Spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, Russia is by far the largest and, in many respects, the coldest inhabited country on Earth. Its vast sweep from the Baltic to the Pacific straddles eleven time zones, yet two-thirds of its territory lies within the sub-arctic and polar belts.
This paved the way to calculate the rate of cooling overall, where the researchers found the Pacific side has cooled much faster.
In Islam, the raised index finger (al-musabbiḥa) symbolizes the core concept of Tawhid, the indivisible oneness of God (Allah) and the declaration of faith (Shahada), affirming there is no god but God. Muslims use this gesture during prayer (Salah) and sometimes when saying the declaration of faith, pointing to the singular nature of God, signifying faith, unity, and praise.
Like the Biblical narrative, the Qur'an states that Lut's messages were ignored by the inhabitants of the cities, and Sodom and Gomorrah were subsequently destroyed. The destruction of the cities is traditionally presented as a warning against homosexuality in Islam as well as other things.
Best cities in Saudi Arabia