Burka advice - watch out - it's almost impossible to buy anything in the M.E. other than 100% polyester so try to find one that is only cotton (good luck!) Second best will be silk. The polyester is utter misery in the heat! (I learned this when I lived in Iran). The one I ended up wearing every single day was the one I made myself out of cotton gauze before I left the States. The ones I purchased from various suppliers (mostly Jordanian) were 'stylish' but sooooo unbearably hot and sticky. It was 110F when I was in Tehran.

Also - I wouldn't worry overmuch about the heat if you wear all cotton. It really is cooler to be completely covered in blazing sun as opposed to being almost completely bare, as Americans are. Folks in the Middle East and the Arabian desert know a thing or two about surviving in heat without air conditioning!!!

Also a warning about wearing light colors: they are not fashion choices in some cultures, but religiously coded. For example, in some Muslim cultures white is reserved only for the most highest ranked religious clerics in special orders. Dress code is a legal matter in Countries where law is shar'ia (Muslim religious, not civil).

And finally! wouldn't it be better to be in complete misery in exotic Saudi Arabic than dull old England! Good luck and off you go!
hugggggs