MIDDLE EAST + AFRICA
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Pleasure domes
When temperatures in Abu Dhabi soar to summer highs in the 40s and beyond, retreating into the bodies of two of its most stunning buildings offers relief and fascination: the stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a shimmering architectural confection of domes and minarets, shimmering white marble and intricately patterned tiles, where the cool, hushed interiors are a salve for the skin and the soul; the low and sleek Louvre Abu Dhabi, where shafts of sunlight cast mesmerising patterns as they find their way through the intricate latticed domed ceiling designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, offers up hours of respite from the heat as you stroll its 23 permanent galleries and browse its collections of priceless art and artefacts.
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MOUNTAIN HIGH
Seasons can sometimes be a relative thing in countries where geographical location dictates the timbre of the climate. Like on the Arabian Peninsula, where the shift from winter to spring is less of a contrast than in most places. But the onset of summer here is the exception: it gets next-level hot. When the mercury starts to climb in somewhere like Oman, a gently welcoming country of just over 5 million people that boasts a colourful ancient waterfront capital in Muscat and large swathes of sparse, sun-scorched Empty Quarter desert (the world's largest sand desert stretches across the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman), finding relief becomes a priority. Luckily the soaring
