• Shops in Sweihan. On Sunday, temperatures in the Al Ain town hit 51.8°C, the highest recorded by any community on Earth that day.
    Shops in Sweihan. On Sunday, temperatures in the Al Ain town hit 51.8°C, the highest recorded by any community on Earth that day.
  • 'The National' visited Sweihan when the temperature was a more clement 44°C, but not right for cooking eggs.
    'The National' visited Sweihan when the temperature was a more clement 44°C, but not right for cooking eggs.
  • Shakeel KP, a restaurant owner in Sweihan, says this summer is the hottest he has experienced in 12 years.
    Shakeel KP, a restaurant owner in Sweihan, says this summer is the hottest he has experienced in 12 years.
  • Elhadrami Alhashmi, an Emirati camel trainer and businessman, says Sweihan is hotter than his hometown of Liwa.
    Elhadrami Alhashmi, an Emirati camel trainer and businessman, says Sweihan is hotter than his hometown of Liwa.
  • Thursday's temperatures in Sweihan meant an attempt at frying an egg in the 44°C heat did not deliver the desired effect.
    Thursday's temperatures in Sweihan meant an attempt at frying an egg in the 44°C heat did not deliver the desired effect.
  • Residents of Sweihan say the heat is unbearable.
    Residents of Sweihan say the heat is unbearable.
  • Sweihan's heat melts ice cream in minutes.
    Sweihan's heat melts ice cream in minutes.
  • Residents of Sweihan say they avoid going outdoors during the daytime.
    Residents of Sweihan say they avoid going outdoors during the daytime.
  • Haris Hassan, 50, from Kerala, is the owner of Mega Fun Electronics in Sweihan. He says daytime heat is too much for even a five-minute walk.
    Haris Hassan, 50, from Kerala, is the owner of Mega Fun Electronics in Sweihan. He says daytime heat is too much for even a five-minute walk.
  • Sweihan resident Tareef Otham has cut down on his daily outdoor exercise routine to avoid the heat.
    Sweihan resident Tareef Otham has cut down on his daily outdoor exercise routine to avoid the heat.
  • Abdullah OK, 21, from India, sells fruit and vegetables in Sweihan.
    Abdullah OK, 21, from India, sells fruit and vegetables in Sweihan.
  • Hawa El Hadey, a travel agent who moved from Abu Dhabi city to Sweihan 13 years ago, says the heat is not too bad.
    Hawa El Hadey, a travel agent who moved from Abu Dhabi city to Sweihan 13 years ago, says the heat is not too bad.
  • Syed Ali, 31, from Pakistan works as a maintenance supervisor and has been living in Sweihan for five years.
    Syed Ali, 31, from Pakistan works as a maintenance supervisor and has been living in Sweihan for five years.
  • Muhammad Shafi, 35, from Kerala, has been in Sweihan for six months.
    Muhammad Shafi, 35, from Kerala, has been in Sweihan for six months.
  • Sweihan's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have experienced.
    Sweihan's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have experienced.
  • Sweihan's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have experienced.
    Sweihan's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have experienced.

Sweihan in Al Ain at 52°C: what life is like in the 'hottest place on Earth’


Haneen Dajani
  • English
  • Arabic

On Sunday, the temperature at Sweihan in Al Ain reached 51.8°C, the highest on Earth that day.

The city's long-time residents said last week was perhaps the hottest they have known and it felt like an inferno.

The National was in town on Thursday when the temperature was 44°C.

This reporter and a colleague tried to fry an egg on the bonnet of the car, but the heat was not enough to cook it hard.

Eggs need to reach a temperature of 70°C to cook thoroughly.

A pan was placed in direct sunlight for 30 minutes before the egg was introduced.

I felt like I was inside an oven

After cooking for 45 minutes, bubbles came out of the egg.

The weather has not been easy on Sweihan residents, who said stepping outdoors for a few minutes was becoming unbearable.

Walking, biking or driving in the afternoon was extremely difficult.

“It was very hot. I felt like I was inside an oven,” said Tareef Otham, from Syria.

“These days, whenever I drive in the afternoon, the steering wheel burns my hands even though I use the windshield screens when the car is parked.

“I wait for a few minutes for the air conditioning to cool the steering wheel a bit before I start driving.”

The 54-year-old Arabic teacher has been living in Sweihan for 21 years.

“This year it got hotter earlier than usual. And at night it doesn’t get any cooler,” he said.

The heat has forced him to cut down on his daily outdoor exercise routine.

“I’m used to walking for an hour every evening, but since the beginning of June I have cut it down to 30 minutes. I can’t tolerate it,” he said.

Elhadrami Alhashmi, a camel trainer and trader, moved to Sweihan 10 years ago.

"I am originally from Liwa in Al Dhafra," said the 34-year-old.

He said Sweihan feels hotter than Liwa.

Liwa is about 150 kilometres to the south-west of Abu Dhabi city and is home to the Empty Quarter, the largest desert in the Arabian Peninsula.

“The heat this week has become the talk of the town,” Mr Alhashmi said.

“And just as we always record the hottest temperature here in the summer, we also record the coldest winters. It reached zero and below at times,” he said.

“This year, winter was warmer though, and we didn’t get a drop of rain.”

On Sunday, Mr Alhashmi said he did not leave his house.

But Naseeb, from India, walked for a kilometre at 1.30pm on Sunday.

“At some point, I felt it was difficult to breathe. I tried to walk in shade as much as possible,” he said.

Resident Tareef Otham has cut down on his daily outdoor exercise routine to avoid the heat. Haneen Dajani
Resident Tareef Otham has cut down on his daily outdoor exercise routine to avoid the heat. Haneen Dajani

The 25-year-old salesman at an electronics shop in the town’s co-operative society walks to work each day.

“I was only wearing my cap and sunglasses. It was just too hot,” he said.

He has been living in Sweihan for a year.

“I used to work in Oman. Sweihan is hotter than Oman and my hometown Kerala. I prefer to live in a cold place,” he said.

Muhammad Shafi, 35, a waiter in the co-operative society's cafeteria, said he uses an umbrella or puts a box on his head when he walks to work and goes home.

He leaves for work at 1.30pm and returns home after 1am.

“I live five minutes away, but even the short walk is unbearable in this weather,” he said.

“There are no trees or shade to walk under. I carry water with me to survive.”

Shakeel KP, owner of Al Dahrooj restaurant in the town’s public market, said he gets just a few customers during daytime.

The 32-year-old Indian has been in Sweihan for 12 years.

“People try to avoid the heat during the day, so most come at night,” he said.

At about 3pm, he had three customers.

“At night, we get 10 to 15 customers,” he said.

“In June and July it always becomes very hot, and this year it feels even hotter,” he said.

Hawa El Hadey, a travel agent who moved from Abu Dhabi city to Sweihan 13 years ago, thinks the heat is not too bad.

“It is open here, and the heat is slightly more bearable than in busy cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ajman,” said the 32-year-old from Sudan.

“Sweihan is very beautiful. It is considered one of the hottest places, but I find it less humid.”

She drives home for lunch at 2pm every day.

“It gets very hot while driving home at that time. The drive is only five minutes, and I reach home before the AC starts cooling the car,” she said.

UAE weather - in pictures

  • A woman shields herself from the sun in Abu Dhabi. All photos taken on June 6, 2021.
    A woman shields herself from the sun in Abu Dhabi. All photos taken on June 6, 2021.
  • Camels graze close to the solar park in Sweihan, where temperatures rose above 50°C. Courtesy: Noor Abu Dhabi
    Camels graze close to the solar park in Sweihan, where temperatures rose above 50°C. Courtesy: Noor Abu Dhabi
  • The Gulf has had a hot start to the summer with temperatures hitting 45C daily in early June. Pawan Singh / The National
    The Gulf has had a hot start to the summer with temperatures hitting 45C daily in early June. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Hazy weather across Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Hazy weather across Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Downtown Dubai's skyscrapers obscured by the humid haze. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Downtown Dubai's skyscrapers obscured by the humid haze. Antonie Robertson / The National
Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

The specs

Engine 60kwh FWD

Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power 204hp Torque 360Nm

Price, base / as tested Dh174,500 

Fight card

1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)

2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)

3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)

4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)

5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)

6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)

7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)

8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)

9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)

10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)

11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)

12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.

Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Asian Cup 2019

Quarter-final

UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

RESULT

Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)

Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)

Teams

India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami

South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

MATCH DETAILS

Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)

Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

THE%20SWIMMERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

Brave CF 27 fight card

Welterweight:
Abdoul Abdouraguimov (champion, FRA) v Jarrah Al Selawe (JOR)

Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (TUN) v Alex Martinez (CAN)

Welterweight:
Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA) v Khamzat Chimaev (SWE)

Middleweight:
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Rustam Chsiev (RUS)
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) v Christofer Silva (BRA)

Super lightweight:
Alex Nacfur (BRA) v Dwight Brooks (USA)

Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) v Tariq Ismail (CAN)
Chris Corton (PHI) v Zia Mashwani (PAK)

Featherweight:
Sulaiman (KUW) v Abdullatip (RUS)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) v Mohammad Al Katib (JOR)