The Time Shift

I experience time differently in Qatar.

First, there is the time shift. Qatar is 11 hours ahead of Seattle time. I am on the almost exact opposite time of friends and family. When they wake up, I have already experienced the full day. I am finishing dinner while they eat breakfast. My US colleagues send emails while I am asleep. Since I manage two work inboxes, I wake up to emails from US colleagues just as my Qatar colleagues are starting to send theirs. This has been difficult to manage (so I apologize for the missed emails!)

The work week is also different. The Qatar work week is Sunday to Thursday. Friday prayers take place on Friday morning so EVERYTHING closes on Friday morning, even mass transportation like the metro stays closed until 2pm. Saturday is a day of exploration where everything is open and everyone goes out. The metro runs every 3 minutes (versus every 6 minutes on weekdays). The roads are crowded. The time and work week shifts mean that when my colleagues log in on Monday morning, I have already worked two days. And when I log off on Thursday afternoon, they have two more days of work before the weekend. That means that if I want to make connections with my US colleagues, our shared work days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Additionally the work and social hours are different. Work hours for government offices range from 7am to 2pm, with many offices closing for lunch at 2pm, and then often not opening again. Due to the heat, most people stay inside until after dark, with people going out after 7pm. Since we go out so late, the locations stay open late, so its not uncommon to stay out until 11pm or midnight. On weekends, most places stay open until 2am. And these places are crowded until late. 

I have experienced this time shift for four months now, I'm still not used to it, but I am developing new habits. On Friday mornings, I sleep. I really rest. Nothing starts until 2pm, so I spend Friday morning sleeping, reading, or cleaning. 

When I first arrived, Fridays were difficult. I felt completely stranded in my house, especially since it was too hot to run or exercise. I wanted to go out and explore. I could call an Uber to take me somewhere (Uber is readily available here!) but where would I go? Everything was closed! But now, I look forward to that quiet time, time when no one will disturb and I can just rest. Then on Friday night, I feel ready to head out and explore, able to stay up late visiting the museums or markets or drinking tea.

This is a different feel from the US, when the first day of the weekend, Saturday, is often packed with events or things to do. I am already exhausted from the week, and doing things on Saturday morning just wore me out more. Sundays are the sleepy day, where I recover from the week and weekend, resting just enough to start preparing for the work week. In Qatar, since I sleep on the first day of the weekend (Friday), Saturday is more enjoyed. Saturday has just as many activities as in the US, but I am less tired. 

The other shift is my night time. In the US, I typically work late, go home, and then sleep. Here, I teach until 5pm (which is very late by Qatar standards). I often try to get home by 6pm, which leaves me the whole evening. I don't typically fall asleep until midnight so that leaves 6 hours to do things! Sometimes I work, trying to get ahead on work. But now that the weather is cooler, I'm trying to fill my evenings with outdoor events, like walks in Oxygen Park. 

Since so much happens at night, the city lights up all of the buildings. So the bright buildings are transformed into vibrant skylines. See the photo of Doha West Bay at night. The bright lights encourage me to stay up and engaged. 

I don't really have a point to this, other than to share that my sense of time is completely distorted right now. Its just weird. 

Changing Perspective (Part 1 of X)

 Part of the reason I applied to come to Qatar is because I wanted to shift my perspective. I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone, to challenge myself to think differently. 

I am still figuring out what has changed so bear with me as I share unfinished thoughts. 

Two months in, I can start to see a shift. For one, I am disturbed when this area is referred to as the Middle East. Did you ever take a moment to think about why we call it the 'middle' east. Middle of what? According to the Indiana University Center for Middle Eastern Studies- the term comes from a Eurocentric definition of geography. This is the same world view that describes the US as the 'New World' or 'rebellious colonies'. The USA has been around for over 200 years, so I would hardly describe us as 'new'. The Europeans defined Japan and Korea as the 'far east' because at the time you had to travel a far distance eastwards in order to reach the countries. The countries of the Mediterranean (Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, etc) were called the 'near east' because they were nearer. The Arabian peninsula (now containing Saudi Arabia and Qatar among others) was a middle distance away, so they were called the 'middle east'.

For perspective see the picture below. This is a map in Portugal showing the path of a famous Portugese poet (whose name I can not remember). This map shows his journey from Portugal, below the southern tip of Africa, to the Arabian Peninsula, India, and China. You can see me pointing at where Qatar should be (it is a tiny peninsula not shown on this map). Its in the 'middle' of his journey. However, the majority of the world's population lives in the 'middle or far east'. So if we try to define the world in terms of where the population is (India and China), Portugal would be called the 'far west' and the US would be called the far east.

So much of what we talk about in the US is from the Eurocentric perspective. For example, most chemistry textbooks start with the ideas of the Greek ' Democritus' who proposed the idea that matter consists of small particles.  We ignore the fact that the first chemistry lab in the world was actually found in a small cave in South Africa. Over 100,000 years ago, the coastal people mixed 'chemical's to make a new compound that we call 'ochre'. The Blombos cave is the first example of 'chemistry' but this is rarely mentioned in chemical books in the US. This is images of the reconstructed cave in the Natural History Museum in Capetown, South Africa.

What is also ignored in the west, is the root of the word 'chemistry' which is derived from the Arabic term 'alchemy'. Part of the adventure here is discovering the Islamic stories of scientific discovery that I may not hear in the US. For example, the research complex at Qatar University has a huge two story mural showing pages from the world of Al-Jibbr- one of the founders of optics. The mural shows examples of geometric measurements and an apparatus for distilling substances (which separates one part from another part.).

People in the region to themselves as part of the GCC, the Gulf Cooperative Council. I believe very strongly that we should strive to call people by the name they desire, so a first step is to shift from thinking about this place as 'middle' and more in terms of the region is resides. 

The Gulf Countries are defined by their dry, sandy climates, their proximity to the calm salty shores of the Gulf (Arabian Gulf if you are on the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf if you are in Persia/Iran). Many (but not all) have large oil or natural gas reserves that are easily accessible. And the predominate religion is Islam (but there is a large minority of other religions too). History shares that the worlds first university was founded by a Muslim woman in Morocco - University of al-Qarawiyyin. The school was called a madrassa - an Arabic used to define an institution of higher learning. 

So, I'm learning a lot about a different culture. And learning how to better support my students from this region in the US. That's where I end for now, so I can wrap up and make it to the rest of the conference today on Sustaining the Oasis in the Gulf. 

Its raining, its pouring, the PM 2.5 is blowing

Its the start of 'winter' in Doha. So far, this means that the temperature cools slightly (from highs of 120 degrees to highs of 92 degrees). It also means that rain becomes much more likely. 

The first big rainstorm came while I was out of the country - it was a massive rainstorm (for Qatar) that lasted about two hours. 

Doha is in the desert, and it is NOT built to handle rainfall. Most of the roads do not have drains and if they do, the drains are not that big (it rarely rains so why would you need them?). This meant that during this massive 2 hour rain storm, many of the streets flooded - which led to the formation of rivers in the street. Cars became boats! People used Kayaks to get down the street. 

Apparently the parking lot near my housing flooded (but thankfully my apartment did not) and the campus lost internet for two days. I arrived shortly after internet was turned on and the water receded, but I saw the impacts on the parking lot near my street. Mud everywhere! 

The rainfall provided such much needed water to the region and also helped to clear the skies from some of the PM 2.5 particles. The air quality dropped from 163 (Unhealthy) to 81 (moderate) for two whole days!  When I arrived two days later, the air quality had already increased back to unhealthy levels of 150. 

Thankfully, its still rainy season so the rain keeps coming. The rain has been hitting in mid-to late afternoon, as the warm humid temperatures lead to build up of storm clouds in the region. The entire peninsula of Qatar is about the size of Rhode Island - only 99 miles long and varying from 35-40 miles across. So even the smallest storms take over the peninsula. 

Today, I spent the afternoon working in a coffee shop in a new town built in Qatar - the area of Lusail. This area is slightly north of the capital of Doha, and along the coast. Most famously, Lusail is home to the stadium for the 2022 world cup final. 

I found a coffee shop with excellent windows so I could enjoy the storm in all of its glory. As the storm approached, the sky became darker, which is normal. However, the darkness was a slightly more orange quality that I am used to. I was curious about this so I stepped outside to take a photo...when I was hit with a massive wave of nasty tasting air. 

I then realized that the wind was blowing all of the sand and dust from the desert into the city. That's what the weather report said - rain with blowing dust. 

Thankfully, a lovely thunderstorm hit with a lot of rain and washed most of the particulates out of the air. Now the air quality is much better and it is blue skies all around! Watch a video of the storm at this link. 

I'm really lucky to be able to experience these changes, and hope that the rain continues to keep the skies clear so I can enjoy my time outdoors. For the meantime, I will use the time to get work done inside.

Oditity - Tissues, Marvel - Dates

 Oddity - Using facial tissues as paper towels

Dates and sweet treats are very popular here. On my first day in Qatar, I was offered dates by every colleague (I think I ate 20 that day) and gifted a bowl of dates from a colleague who grew them in her garden. When you eat the date, you have to spit out the seed so you need something to collect the seed. 

I noticed a very odd thing. When you eat dates or most any food, they offer you a tissue to clean your hands. It is the same type tissue you would use to blow your nose. It is very thin and fine, versus a paper towel that is thicker and strong. 

At first I thought this was due to convenience. They gave me a tissue because it was close by and the paper towels were far away. But every time I was offered a date by a colleague or a friend, I was also offered a tissue. People keep the tissue boxes next to the dates. 

At many restaurants, there is a box of tissues on the table. The tissues are typically a little stronger than the tissues I buy in the US, but they are still finer and prone to breaking, especially when wet. The dates are very sticky so you need to get your hands wet in order to remove the stickiness but the tissue can not handle it. 

When I eat out, my fingers are covered with the stickiness and I have to go through 3-4 tissues in order to clean my hands. It seems silly, especially since I could use a simple wet towel to clean off the fingers at once. Perhaps one day someone will explain why you use a tissue instead of a napkin or paper towel. 

Marvel - The filling power of dates

Dates are ubiquitous to the middle east. Many Muslims break their Ramadan fast with dates. The reasoning is that dates have a high sugar content which helps quickly restore energy. Dates are also high in fiber so they help fill you up. It is traditional (and tasty) to eat dates with your coffee. The dates add sweetness so you do not need to add sugar. 

I started adding dates to my yogurt in the morning and found that it fills me up. I already added dates to my smoothies in the US, to help add sweetness and a little bit of extra fiber. Now that I'm here, I find that I just need to snack on 1-2 dates to get an energy boost and feel better for the day. Its amazing - such a tiny little thing can pack a powerful punch.

Teaching women in STEM

I teach chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. One of the most distinct differences between teaching in the United States and teaching in Qatar is that my classes at Qatar University are separated by gender.  In the College of Arts and Sciences, where I teach, male and female are in different buildings. 

The female building is completely enclosed and there are signs everywhere saying only females, except male faculty. When students drive to campus, there are male entrances and female entrances. There are female security guards at every female building entrance to ensure that only females or male faculty enter. 

The restrictions seem to be enforced more stringently to protect female spaces. For example, there are male security guards at the entrance to most male building entrances but females can usually enter those buildings. However, males are typically not allowed to enter female spaces unless they have a specific reason to be there (i.e. faculty or staff). 

My office is in the female building. When I found out that my office was in the female building, I assumed that it would only house female faculty, but there are male and female faculty offices inside.  While students are separated by gender, faculty can teach male or female classes and have offices/labs in either male or female spaces. This can be difficult when faculty teach classes back to back since the classrooms are on completely different campuses. There are shuttle busses and even shuttle cars to take faculty from building to building, but often it is better to walk/ run between buildings in rather than wait for the shuttle. Thankfully, my office and classrooms are close to each other. 

See below the interior of the Women's college, the bright, airy, air conditioned space. It is nice to stay air conditioned between classes. 

Additionally, the campus clearly wants female students to see themselves as scientists, as one of the coffee shops next to the Women's College - The Chemist Cafe - shows women in hijabs doing chemical things. 

Side note - there is a Starbucks inside the female College of Arts and Sciences - the ONLY Starbucks on campus. During the day, this area is filled with women in black abayas - chatting and drinking coffee. 

I will be honest and say that the strict gender separation has been difficult for me to accept. It was one of the things that I dreaded most before coming here. From the courses I taught in Women in STEM, I knew of numerous examples where women were kept out of scientific conversations because they were not allowed in male only spaces. (e.g - women excluded from the senior common room at Kings College which contributed to the unhappiness of Rosalind Franklin). Given my past experiences as a woman in STEM, combined with my American upbringing that separate is NOT equal, the idea of separate spaces for females has been difficult to embrace. 

However, I am here and I am teaching in a place that separates female undergraduates from male undergraduates. I teach two sections of ONLY female students. This is the first time in my career that I have taught ONLY women. Being in STEM, its pretty common for women to be a minority in the classroom but that is changing. In my undergrad, around 40% of the people in the classroom were female and the rest male. In the chemistry classes I teach, around 50% of the students are women. For the first time in my career, I don't have to worry about male/female ratio in class teams - removing one of the barriers to female success in STEM. I find that I feel more comfortable in the female only spaces. Its not that I am not allowed in the male spaces, but I feel like I can be more open in the female spaces.  So given my own experiences, I am incredibly curious to see if women learning in a female only class leads to improvements in female student success.

It is important to note that the student body at Qatar University between 70-80% female, so much of the campus buildings are set aside for female students. The reasons for this high number are varied, but the most common explanation given is that due to male guardianship laws, Qatari women must have permission from their fathers in order to leave the country. The oldest males typically go away to campuses in the US, Canada, or Europe. The only males who go to college in Qatar are typically the 3rd, 4th, or 5th sons (if a family has that many). Since education at Qatar University is gender separated, families are more likely to support female student who want to go to the flagship national university rather than study abroad.

The female students in my classroom are highly motivated and want to go into well-paying careers like medicine and engineering. 

These careers are open to women in Qatar and provide secure jobs. However, there are not enough spaces for all the students who want to go. The pressure to do well is intense! Students can become upset over the smallest deductions in their score. 

Case in point - this week I had a student break down in my office over missing ONE question on an exam.  The student came to my office after the exam and asked to see what they missed. I noticed they were very nervous - shaking even. That was a bit unusual to witness, especially since nearly all my students earned what I though were high scores. This student was a very strong student and only missed one question. It was a hard question - naming transition metal compounds with a polyatomic ion - that was easy to make a mistake on. I was not surprised to see it as one of the most missed questions. However, when I shared the exam with the student, the student started crying. My first thought was - these are tears of relief, because the student did very well. But as I saw the tears and the shaking hands, I realized that it was more. 

While talking with the student, I learned that she was anxious to be admitted to a specific program that only had 20 spots a year. Over 400 students apply for those 20 spots so students must have high scores. The student felt like missing one question on the exam, which lowered her grade from 100 to 95%, was enough to keep her out of the program. She felt that if she could not get into the program, that she would be stuck without a career. 

Hearing this - I instantly went into growth mindset mode. 

The first thing I did was to remind the student that a score on the exam was NOT a measure of who they are as a person. Second, when a school admits less than 1% of its applicants, getting admitted is not something that you can control. If you get accepted, that's great, but if you do not get accepted, that does not mean you are any less of person or any less capable of success. I mentioned the times I was rejected in my career (aka, my CV of failures) and how that was part of growing. It seemed to calm the student down. Third, I asked the student if there were any other career paths or schools they would consider pursuing. At the mention of a different career path, the student broke down again. They had only ever wanted this career and if they could not do this career, she would never be able to participate in the workforce. 

At this moment, I had to pause. If I was in the US, I would say you can pursue any career you want. But here, that is not always true. While the % of women in the Qatar workforce is increasing, male guardianship laws place real restrictions on female career paths. Female students need to have a supportive and understanding family in order to leave the country or switch career paths. I don't know the student's family situation and it is NOT appropriate for me to ask (in Qatar or in the US). I can hope that the student's family will support them in any career choice they make - even if it means going to another country to get into the program or pursuing a career that is lower profile.  But I can't make that assumption. 

So I had to adjust my approach here. I can not advise students for a specific path, but I can remind them that they are awesome and will be successful at the paths they end up pursuing. I can not state that things will always be the way they want, but that I believe they are amazing (mumtaz in Arabic!). Even though a significant part of me is frustrated at the state of laws, I can point to several women role models at the university who demonstrate that women can succeed in STEM careers in this country. After a lot of questions and tears, the student calmed down enough to stop shaking and left.

I was pretty shaken by the incident so I shared the experience with some of my Qatar University colleagues. Is this a normal thing to expect from students? Did I do the right thing in giving the student a space to talk? 

Their responses generally were - yes it is normal to see this from female students, it is rare to see it from male students. One colleague (a former female student at the university) said that female students often do this in order to get the professor to change their grade. She expressed doubt in the veracity of the students story until I shared that changing the grade was never an option, I've been teaching long enough to be impervious to those requests unless the student can prove that the question was wrong. Then she said - yes, students may experience this stress but it okay to send them to academic counselors. (I now need to figure out how to make referrals).  Another colleague (male) said that he was grateful that the students felt comfortable enough to talk to me about this. He was impressed that I had the patience to spend so much time with the student. 

Now I'm not really sure how to end this post - other than to say that if other students want to talk, my office door is open. 

Birthday treats

I celebrated my Birthday while in Qatar. More specifically, I celebrated a birthweek. Its too much stress to put all the celebration in one day, so I stretch it to one week of fun activities.  :-)

Note - this post is really just an excuse to share a lot of fun photos. 

The birthday coincided with my husband being in town, so I used my Birthday as a way to throw parties and introduce my husband to all the people I met so far. 

The celebration started the weekend before, where my husband and I booked a staycation at one of the fancy hotels. I was told that staying at a 5 star hotel in Qatar is more comparable to a 7 star hotel in Europe, so I was eager to check out the luxurious space! In the summer, they run these great specials where you get at 5 star hotel room, including breakfast at the huge buffet, for less than the cost of a 2 star hotel. 

The hotel exceeded my expectations! The room was huge with a luxurious comfy bed and cozy sofa. The bathroom was a mini suite with separate spaces for the toilet, a waterfall showerhead, and a deep marble tub. They welcomed us to the suite with a plate of local treats and fruits. 

From the room, we could see the large pool and beach. 

Since I had not been able to access a pool and the beach had been too hot for the first four weeks I was in town, I was down and in the pool within minutes! 

Many times, hotel pools are heated. But here in Qatar, the pool water is chilled so it is not bathtub temperature. When you arrive at the pool, an attendant will come to your bench and ask if you want water, they then bring you towels and a cooler of bottled ice water for you to enjoy while at the pool. The pool is HUGE so the space rarely feels busy. 

Right next to the pool was a beach, where I got to swim in the Arabian Gulf for the first time! It feels like a salty bathtub. The water temperature was around 94F. The salt content is so high that you can float easily. I would ease into the warm water, then lie on my back for 20 minutes, enjoying the relaxation. 

If I got too hot, I would get out, rinse off in the shower, then cool down in the big pool. In the afternoon, the sun sat behind the hotel building so the pool was mostly in shade - meaning I did not have to wear my sunblocker hoody. I could just float in my western style swimsuit.  

After swimming, we would clean up and then go to dinner in one of the 7+ hotel restaurants. One night, we visited friends at another hotel for pizza and mocktails on the beach. On the second night, we visited a Lebanese restaurant and had the best falafel I've ever had in my life. So soft and fluffy! We had Fatoush (a middle eastern salad), hummus, chili potatoes, and fresh baked bread. So yummy! 

On the third night we visited a Latin restaurant where I enjoyed tasty mocktails. 

For breakfast, we had access to hotels breakfast buffet, which lasted from 7am to 12pm everyday and consisted of 8 different buffet areas: pastries, fruits, fresh juices, a selection of hummus for Arabic mezze, American style hot breakfast, breads from the kiln, curries, fresh made to order sushi, a muesli/oatmeal bar, and a desert bar. And if that wasn't enough, that offered made to order omelets, eggs, pancakes, and waffles! It was incredible! We typically spent 1-2 hours slowly trying a small amount of the many foods. 

I had to work on a talk one afternoon, so I took the opportunity to work in the fancy lobby. A fancy lobby makes for a great talk - right? 

We really enjoyed the stay and left the space completely relaxed. It made it hard to go back to work. But, going to work meant that my husband could finally meet my friends and colleagues. We started by hosting a small party in the courtyard of the faculty housing buildings. Around 20 friends and colleagues came to this last minute get together. Thanks to friend Z for getting people to come so late and bringing candles and the blanket!

The weather had cooled down slightly so we could spend about two hours just hanging out and chatting in the park. The picture below shows the aftermath of 10+ kids and 10+ adults after enjoying cake and juice and balloons!

The next day was my actual birthday, and after I spent a few hours in the office, my husband and I went out for a special dinner at Yasmine Palance- a local restaurant known for its atmosphere. The place came highly recommended from many of my colleagues in the region as a place to celebrate. The interior evokes a gilded Arabic palace. There is a water fountain inside the restaurant and the interior evokes a spirit of celebration. A great place to spend my actual birthday and my last full day with my husband before he returned to the US. 

On the last two days of the week, I gave a talk to the department - which was an excuse to bring my husband to campus so he could meet my colleagues. All were very friendly and welcoming to him! I got to show him my office and the building I work in and he got to work at my desk while I led office hours.  He left that night, which was sad, but it was fun to take the metro to the airport (riding the metro will be a subject of an entire post!) 

The week ended with a fun social hour at another local hotel restaurant with Qatar friend Sarah and Kentucky-Qatar friend Lindsey. No photos of us but a photo of the amazing hotel lobby. 

So that concluded my treats for my birth week. It was a great opportunity to explore the fancier side of Doha and gather friends for parties. I'm wondering if I can celebrate a birth year? ;-) 

Thank you for reading and putting up with my photos! 

Six Weeks - Marvels about the heat and clothing

Its crazy, I have been in Doha for 6 weeks now. The time has flown by. 

It has been three weeks since I last posted, because I had a special guest in town for two weeks. When he left, I had to start preparing students to take their first midterm. I've had some down time to reflect on more marvels and oddities from my time here. I am crafting a few posts to demonstrate them. 

Marvel - the cooling power of linen and cotton (and head scarves)

Qatar, like the many countries in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, is hot and humid. The image that comes to mind for most people is a desert .. and much of the Qatar peninsula is a desert. However, due to the warm temperature of the gulf - averaging 32 degrees Celsius year round - the areas near the water have extremely high humidity - around 50-70% in June - September. 

Due to this humidity - the thermometer says it is 90F outside - the real feel can range from 96- 107 F. During the day, even in early October,  the daytime high is 100F but the real feel is 110F.  (This is better from when I arrived when the daytime high was 110 but it felt like 130F - so progress!) 

In short, it is hot and humid - even at night. 

Before I left the United States, I invested in clothing that would be appropriate for the region. The culture is to dress conservatively - I signed a dress code stating that I would wear long pants/skirts that cover the knees and shirts that are half length or longer. For the most part I wear long sleeves and long pants/skirts. These are not the typical clothing I would wear in hot/humid weather.

However, it turns out that loose fitting cotton and linen clothes are just perfect for staying cool. It turns out that linen is exceptionally breathable which allows sweat to evaporate quickly. Chemically speaking - As sweat evaporates, the breaking of forces between water molecules takes energy, so it takes the heat from your body to break the bonds, which allows to cool. Even in high humidity without a breeze, the loose fitting clothing creates a space for the water to evaporate and cool you down. 

So - I am incredibly comfortable wearing my linen pants and my long sleeve cotton tops to walk around town. It keeps the sun office. 

My go to pants have been a pair of natural linen pants I bought on a whim one week before I left the US. While these are not dressy enough for the office, I wear them any time I go out because they are just comfortable. 

 

Even when I travel to areas where it is more appropriate to wear short sleeves, I find myself wearing a long sleeve shirt to protect my arms from the sun - which helps keep me cool. Andy did the same thing - although with technical shirts. I still prefer my cotton and linen because it just helps me feel cool! 

To avoid the sun, I also find myself wearing a head scarf. The sun is blinding bright and burns as soon as I walk outside. So cover my head to provide some sort of shade- and it works!  The scarf then doubles as a lovely accessory. 

Oddity - Black Linen is actually cool

In Qatar and many other conservative Arab countries - the women wear black from head to toe. They were head scarves like the black hijab and abayas - a long loose gown worn over other clothing. Any scientist knows that black absorbs more heat than white - so why do the women wear black in a hot climate. In traditionally Bedouin cultures, nearly everyone wears black. But why? 

It turns out that someone studied this (BBC article) and determined that black reduces solar loads compared to other colors. White animal hairs permit more short wave radiation to transmit through to the skin compared to dark hairs - this means that more dangerous UV radiation can penetrate through the light colored clothing than dark clothing. Additionally - the cooling power of the clothing comes from the breathability (discussed above) and the loose fitting nature. Cooling in the long loose fitting robes comes from a convection current generated between the skin and clothes. In the Nature article, they say that since the cooling comes from the convection current, the color of the clothing does not matter. And since black allows for less penetration of harmful radiation - black robes make sense. 

So - thats odd but it works. Here is a photo of me wearing my favorite black linen dress - not as cooling as the full robe but it works! 

Additional reading: 

Google Image search for black clothing in Middle East

Original Nature Study about black bedouin clothing (paywall)