As Temperatures Rise, Egyptians Cope

Egypt’s summer temperatures send a sea of people to the seashore at Miami Beach, in the port city of Alexandria.

A sidewalk vendor in Alexandria peddles aloe vera, a succulent popular for treating sunburn. Proven or not, many Egyptians complain the sun seems to get stronger each year and doctors warn of skin cancer as one of the dangers of overexposure.

Residents of the fishing community of al Max say sea rising sea levels are weakening the soil and foundations of their homes, forcing some to evacuate to other parts of the city.

Fishing has long been the mainstay of al Max’s residents. Now, fishermen who have evacuated to firmer ground commute back to the neighborhood daily to work.

Adapting to the new reality has not been easy. “We are fishes in water. We will die if we leave al Max. Our lives are here,” says Rayes Alaa a fishnet maker.

A battle against the tide. Alexandria municipal officials have built breakwaters using cementite in Alexandria’s Miami Beach. Observers say rising sea levels are one reason

A respite from the heat. Students find refuge in Alexandria’s upscale coffee houses where air conditioning is turned on full blast.

“I can never stay here during the day. It is like a grill,” complains Sanad, a doctoral student from Yemen, of his sweltering Cairo apartment. “I go to places where there is air conditioning.” He often sleeps on his balcony.

Desperate measures. “When the heat is overwhelming I put my head into the freezer,” said Sanad.

Apartments in Alexandria. Residents are concerned that rising sea levels are weakening building foundations.

Divers descend to Cleopatra’s sunken palace, part of a submerged ancient complex discovered in the 1990s. The high concentration of algae, which blooms when temperatures are unusually warm, makes it difficult for the divers, including this photojournalist

The ruins of Cleopatra’s sunken palace. The Mediterranean’s waters are murky with rust and pink algae, which thrives in the warmer-than-usual temperatures.

An ancient column base in Cleopatra’s sunken palace.

Divers hold an ancient amphora found among the ruins of the sunken palace. The sprawling ancient complex was the setting of dramatic episodes between Egypt’s last Greek-speaking queen, Cleopatra, and Mark Antony, the Roman general she seduced before the c

For those desperate to cool off, the city’s open spaces are the least expensive alternative.