Art & Culture

What Our Ancestors Can Teach Us About Surviving the Heat

BYMille Team

August 11, 2026

It is becoming more and more difficult to describe the heat as simply summer weather. Western Europe recorded its hottest June and July on record in 2026, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, as extreme heat, drought, and wildfires swept across the continent. France has endured repeated heatwaves, with temperatures pushing past 40°C in some areas and rivers growing so warm and depleted that nuclear plants were forced to reduce power output. Across the Channel, the UK recorded temperatures above 35°C in May, June and July for the first time in its observational history, while nearly three-quarters of England has been declared in drought.

This is increasingly what life on a warming planet looks like. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes extreme heat as an urgent and growing public-health threat, citing an estimated 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019. Europe is warming at roughly twice the global average, and scientists expect heatwaves to become more frequent, longer, and more intense as global temperatures continue to rise.

For those of us from the Middle East and North Africa, however, adapting to extreme heat is hardly a new problem. Long before air-conditioning, generations lived across some of the hottest inhabited environments on Earth, from the Sahara and Arabian Peninsula to North Africa and the Levant. Heat shaped what people wore, when they worked, how they slept, and even how homes and entire cities were built.

Our ancestors couldn’t turn the temperature down, so they learned how to keep the sun out, move air around the body, exploit cooler nights, and organize life around the climate rather than expecting the climate to accommodate them. As the rest of the world begins adapting to a much hotter future, some of that centuries-old knowledge feels remarkably useful. Below, the everyday lessons we can borrow from our ancestors to survive the next heatwave.

Wear More Clothes, Not Less

It sounds counterintuitive when the temperature hits 40°C, but one of the clearest lessons from generations living across the Sahara, North Africa, and Arabian Peninsula is that dressing for extreme heat doesn’t necessarily mean exposing more skin. Traditional garments including the gandoura, daraa, djellaba and thobe tend to share an important characteristic: they are long and loose. Covering the body provides a physical barrier against direct solar radiation, while a roomy silhouette leaves space between the fabric and skin, allowing air to circulate as the wearer moves. When you’re spending time under intense, direct sunlight, that combination becomes particularly useful.

Go Back to Black

One of the most famous studies on the subject of clothing was published in Nature in 1980 after researchers examined why Bedouins could comfortably wear black robes in the desert. Although black fabric absorbed considerably more solar radiation than white fabric, researchers found that the additional heat absorbed by the black robe did not reach the wearer’s skin. The loose construction of the garment allowed heat to dissipate before reaching the body.

Cover Your Head

The cheche of the Sahara, the keffiyeh and ghutra of the Arabian Peninsula and Levant, the haik of the Maghreb and numerous forms of turbans and wraps across the region offered protection from sun, hot winds, sand, and dust. Head coverings could also be adjusted according to the conditions, shielding the neck or parts of the face when necessary. Ancestral practices shouldn’t replace modern sun protection, but they reinforce a surprisingly overlooked principle: sunscreen isn’t your only defense against the sun.

Close Your Curtains Before Your Home Gets Hot

Our ancestors didn’t have blackout curtains from IKEA, but they understood that preventing sunlight from entering a home was considerably easier than cooling it afterward. Traditional houses across the region used shutters, recessed windows, mashrabiyas, covered passageways, and relatively limited exterior openings to control sunlight. The mashrabiya, in particular, filtered harsh light while allowing ventilation through its perforated wooden screen. Thick walls and shaded courtyards provided additional protection from solar heat.

The modern application requires considerably less architectural ingenuity. Close your curtains, shutters or blinds before direct sunlight reaches your windows, particularly on whichever side of your home receives the strongest afternoon sun. Waiting until your bedroom already feels like an oven and then closing the curtains means much of that solar energy has already entered the room.

Open the Windows at the Right Time

Traditional buildings across hot regions relied heavily on controlling airflow according to changing conditions. At night, when outdoor temperatures dropped, ventilation could help release heat accumulated within walls and interiors. During the hottest portion of the day, buildings could be shaded and openings reduced. Of course, if nights remain extremely hot, outdoor air pollution is poor, security is an issue, or humidity is very high, the strategy becomes less useful. But where temperatures drop significantly after sunset, use the cool air while you have it.

Stop Trying to Be Productive at 2 P.M.

There is a reason daily life across many hot climates historically slowed during the afternoon and returned after sunset. Take a cue from generations before us and reorganize your day when extreme heat arrives. Exercise early in the morning or later in the evening. Walk the dog before the temperature peaks. Do errands after sunset where possible. If you have outdoor work that can be rescheduled, move it away from the hottest hours.

The Floor is Yours

Anyone who grew up in an Arab household may already instinctively understand this one. Hot air rises, while lower parts of a room can sometimes remain cooler, particularly in buildings with high ceilings and cool stone or tile surfaces. Traditional homes across the region also made extensive use of stone, tile, and other materials that can feel significantly cooler against the body than upholstered furniture, rugs, or mattresses. You don’t need to start sleeping permanently on the floor, but during a heatwave, pay attention to the temperature differences within your own home.

Eat Your Water, Too

Look closely at summer food traditions across the Middle East and North Africa and you find plenty of ingredients that make intuitive sense in hot weather. Consider incorporating watermelon, melon, cucumber, tomatoes, grapes, citrus, yogurt, and other foods containing substantial amounts of water into your diet this summer. Food alone cannot replace drinking enough fluids, but water-rich foods contribute to overall fluid intake. During extreme heat, particularly when you’re sweating heavily, maintaining hydration becomes essential because dehydration compromises the body’s ability to regulate temperature.

Adjust the Way You Move

Traditional medinas gave pedestrians narrow streets, covered passages, awnings and shadows cast by closely packed buildings. People dressed to create additional physical barriers between themselves and the sun. Modern cities, meanwhile, routinely ask us to cross enormous exposed roads, parking lots and plazas under uninterrupted sunlight. You can’t rebuild your neighborhood before your next grocery run, but you can, however, change how you move through it.

Walk on the shaded side of the street or choose routes with trees and covered walkways even if they’re slightly longer. You can also wait for transport under shade rather than direct sunlight, carry an umbrella or parasol if you know you’ll be outside for a prolonged period, and park underground or beneath shade when possible.

Main image: A self-portrait by artist Shirin Neshat from her Soliloquy Series, 1999.

What Our Ancestors Can Teach Us About Surviving the Heat

Wear More Clothes, Not Less

Go Back to Black

Cover Your Head

Close Your Curtains Before Your Home Gets Hot

Open the Windows at the Right Time

Stop Trying to Be Productive at 2 P.M.

The Floor is Yours

Eat Your Water, Too

Adjust the Way You Move

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Topics

What Our Ancestors Can Teach Us About Surviving the Heat

Wear More Clothes, Not Less

Go Back to Black

Cover Your Head

Close Your Curtains Before Your Home Gets Hot

Open the Windows at the Right Time

Stop Trying to Be Productive at 2 P.M.

The Floor is Yours

Eat Your Water, Too

Adjust the Way You Move

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