Today's Article (13/8/2025)
The Gulf World That Air Conditioning Wrought
Before modern air conditioning, the Gulf’s locals coexisted with the sun and heat, utilizing local thermal-resistant building materials and architectural and urban design elements that harnessed nature to lower indoor temperatures. During the hotter months, many rested in the afternoons, bathed in the sea or natural springs or retreated to cooler environs.
E.g. double-walled dwellings, wind catchers, protruding windows with wooden lattices
Gulf homes were often built with local thermal-resistant materials, such as coral stones and palm fronds, and arranged around a central open courtyard. The yard provided a shaded and open-air space within the home and promoted air circulation through downdraft cooling similar to Iran’s wind towers.
Towns often had narrow and labyrinthine streets, such that the streets themselves and the buildings that lined them were shaded by one another from the sun.