First Sahara desert snow in 40 years captured in photographs
Karim Bouchetata proves it's all about being in the right place at the right time
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An amateur photographer has captured rare and beautiful images of the first snowfall in the Sahara desert for nearly 40 years.
Karim Bouchetata photographed the fleeting scene on Monday in the small Algerian town of Ain Sefra, which lies in the Atlas Mountains on the northern edge of the desert.
In his images a thin layer of snow rests on deep orange dunes, where he said it stayed for about a day, and forms whirling patterns where the slopes are too steep for it to settle. Snow was reportedly last seen in Ain Sefra in 1979, when a half-hour snowstorm stopped traffic.
Mr Bouchetata said: "Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert, it is such a rare occurrence.
"It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos.
"The snow stayed for about a day and has now melted away."
Ain Sefra, founded in 1881 as a French garrison town and known as "The Gateway to the Desert", sees average high temperatures of more than 37C in summer and has notched record lows of -10.2C in winter, though the average hovers around freezing.
Click here to view African Tours and Holidays, with Independent Holidays.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments