By: Alex
The desert symbolizes dryness and heat; snow represents low temperatures. In principle, the two are contradictory and rarely coexist in the natural world. However, on the 13th of this month, photographer Karim Bouchetata captured photos of snowy sand dunes in a small town in the Sahara Desert—an extremely rare sight.
▲ Snowfall in the Algerian town of Aïn Séfra. (Photo by Bav Media)
Last Wednesday, the desert town of Aïn Séfra in Algeria was hit by a cold front, with temperatures plummeting to -3°C and snow falling. Sheep were photographed standing on snow-covered sand dunes. Aïn Séfra, located in the Atlas Mountains at an altitude of about 1,000 meters, is known as the "Gateway to the Desert." This marks the fourth consecutive winter that the area has seen snowfall.
▲ Snow covering the Sahara Desert. (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
▲ A shepherd leads sheep across the Sahara Desert. (Photo by Bav Media)
On the other side of the desert, photographers also captured images of camels tethered in the snow in the Tabuk mountainous region of northwestern Saudi Arabia. Tabuk, near the southern border of Jordan, recently experienced unusual weather changes, with temperatures dropping to -2°C and heavy snowfall in many areas.
▲ Camels in the Tabuk mountains. (Photo by Abu Nayef Fawaz Al-Harbi/ Magnus News)
Most of Saudi Arabia's land consists of uninhabitable deserts and barren wilderness, with summer temperatures reaching up to 50°C. The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of 20.2°C. Tabuk is one of the country’s coldest regions, where winters are typically very dry, with an average temperature of 4°C.
▲ Tabuk is one of the coldest regions in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abu Nayef Fawaz Al-Harbi/ Magnus News)
Meteorological experts have pointed out that due to climate change, the Sahara Desert has expanded noticeably over the past century. Although the research focuses solely on the Sahara, similar phenomena may not be ruled out in other deserts.
▲ Photographer Karim Bouchetata captures the unique textures formed by sand and snow on the dunes. (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
▲ (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
▲ The town of Aïn Séfra is located in the Atlas Mountains at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. (Photo by Bav Media)
▲ (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
▲ (Photo by Bav Media)
▲ Aïn Séfra town sees temperatures plunge to -3°C. (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
▲ (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
▲ (Photo by kbouchetata @FB)
Source: The Sun, Karim Bouchetata @FB