The Friday prayer in the United Arab Emirates is limited to ten minutes during the hot summer months. Temperatures of up to 50 degrees are not uncommon and now the country's authorities are taking a range of measures to protect the population from heatstroke.
The Friday gathering is the week's most important prayer session and large crowds usually gather outside the mosques. The new restrictions will remain in place until October when the temperatures drop slightly.
In the United Arab Emirates, the authorities stop outdoor work in direct sunlight between 12 and 15 o'clock from June to September. Similar rules apply in several Gulf countries.
In June, more than 1,300 people died during the year's hajj, the Muslims' pilgrimage to Mecca, in neighboring Saudi Arabia, due to the extreme heat.
