A vast sea of endless sand stretching beyond the horizon — the Sahara Desert is a land of extremes, where the sun scorches the earth by day, and nights are chillingly cold. It’s a place where clouds are rare and rainfall is almost non-existent, yet its golden beauty hides some of the world’s greatest natural and archaeological mysteries.
The Immensity of the Sahara
Located in North Africa, the Sahara Desert spans approximately 9.2 million square kilometers, making it the largest hot desert in the world and the third largest overall after Antarctica and the Arctic. If it were a country, it would be larger than the entire United States NASA Earth Observatory.
Some regions of the Sahara have not seen rain for hundreds of years, making it one of the harshest environments on Earth for sustaining life. Its extreme heat, dryness, and landscape make it an enigmatic place of survival.
The Eye of the Sahara: Richat Structure
One of the most baffling mysteries of the Sahara is the Eye of the Sahara, also known as the Richat Structure. From space, it appears as a massive, circular formation resembling a human eye — stretching over 50 kilometers in diameter.
Despite many theories, scientists have yet to definitively explain how it formed. Some suggest it’s a deeply eroded geological dome, while others speculate that it might have been an impact crater. There are even fringe theories claiming it was created by an ancient civilization — or even extraterrestrials — due to its mysterious symmetry NASA Earth Observatory.
The Expanding Desert
Interestingly, the size of the Sahara Desert is not constant. Over the past century, the desert has expanded by more than 900,000 square kilometers. Scientists attribute this increase to climate change and natural climate cycles like the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation National Geographic.
Snow in the Sahara?
It might surprise you, but snowfall does occur in the Sahara — although it’s rare. In places like Aïn Séfra in northern Algeria (often called the Gateway to the Sahara), snow has fallen multiple times in recent years, creating breathtaking scenes of red sand dunes topped with white snow.
One significant snowfall happened in January 2022, when up to 6 inches of snow blanketed the dunes BBC Weather.
Not Just Sand — There’s Water Too
While most people imagine the Sahara as only sand dunes, it’s also home to underground aquifers and natural springs. One remarkable location is Guelta d’Archei in northeastern Chad — a hidden oasis where water continuously flows from the underground, despite the harsh desert climate. This guelta (a type of desert pond) has managed to sustain life for centuries, including desert-adapted crocodiles and nomadic camel herders Atlas Obscura.
The water is often darkened by the presence of camel waste, as herds frequently gather to drink and rest, making this location both biologically and culturally significant.
A Prehistoric Human Past
Another hidden chapter of the Sahara’s history lies buried under its sand. Archaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old burial sites, revealing that this now arid desert was once a fertile region with lakes, rivers, and even human settlements.
One such discovery includes the remains of a woman and two children, buried together in a cemetery near Niger, suggesting family-based burial traditions and a once-thriving human presence Smithsonian Magazine.
From Green Jungle to Desert
Scientific evidence confirms that the Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Around 10,000 years ago, it was a lush and green savannah teeming with life. This period is known as the African Humid Period, and it ended due to shifts in Earth’s orbit and climate, turning the region into the desert we see today Nature.
Ancient Rock Art of the Sahara
The Sahara may look barren today, but it’s home to thousands of pieces of prehistoric rock art that tell stories of a very different past. In places like Tassili n’Ajjer in Algeria, ancient carvings and paintings — some over 12,000 years old — depict giraffes, elephants, cattle, and even human dancing rituals. These artworks are strong evidence that the Sahara was once a lush, green region filled with wildlife and human activity.
📚 Source: UNESCO World Heritage – Tassili n’Ajjer
Meteorites and Extraterrestrial Evidence?
The Sahara is one of the best places in the world to find meteorites, due to its dry climate and wide open terrain. Some of the rarest Martian and lunar meteorites ever discovered were found in the Sahara Desert.
One particularly famous find is the Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 meteorite, nicknamed “Black Beauty,” believed to be a piece of Mars that landed in the Sahara over a million years ago.
📚 Source: NASA – Martian Meteorites
Lost Cities Beneath the Sand?
There are legends of lost cities hidden beneath the sands of the Sahara, the most famous being Ubar, sometimes referred to as the “Atlantis of the Sands.” While some stories are myths, satellite imagery and archaeological excavations have uncovered the ruins of ancient trade cities, caravan routes, and stone structures buried under sand dunes.
Some scientists believe there are still many unexplored ruins and settlements hidden beneath the desert that once thrived during the green Sahara period.
📚 Source: BBC – The Lost Civilisations Buried Beneath the Sand
Living in the Sahara: Nomadic Tribes
Despite the extreme environment, several indigenous nomadic tribes have survived in the Sahara for thousands of years. The Tuareg people, often called the “blue people” due to their indigo-colored robes, are one of the most famous desert tribes. They navigate vast territories on camelback, using ancient knowledge of stars, wind, and sand to find water and shelter.
These groups have developed sophisticated methods to live sustainably in one of the harshest environments on Earth.
📚 Source: National Geographic – Tuareg Nomads
The Sahara’s Role in Earth’s Climate
The Sahara isn’t just important to Africa — it influences the global climate system. Huge dust storms from the Sahara blow across the Atlantic Ocean, helping to fertilize the Amazon rainforest with essential minerals like phosphorus.
However, this dust also plays a role in hurricane formation in the Atlantic, and changes in the Sahara’s climate can affect weather patterns worldwide.
📚 Source: NASA Earth Observatory – Dust from the Sahara
Desert Mummies
You might associate mummies with Egypt, but did you know the oldest known mummies in the world were discovered in the Sahara? In the Uan Muhuggiag site in Libya, archaeologists found a 5,600-year-old mummified child, older than the earliest Egyptian mummies.
This discovery proves that mummification techniques began in the Sahara long before the pharaohs of Egypt.
📚 Source: Smithsonian Magazine – The Saharan Mummy Older Than Egypt’s
The Desert That Could Turn Green Again
Scientists say that the Sahara could become green again — a natural cycle that has occurred every 20,000 years due to shifts in Earth’s orbit. Research indicates that we may be just a few thousand years away from the Sahara transforming into a lush grassland once more.
📚 Source: Nature Communications – Green Sahara Cycles
The Sahara Desert is not just a vast expanse of sand — it’s a living museum of Earth’s ancient past and a reminder of nature’s power to transform landscapes over time. From mysterious geological structures like the Eye of the Sahara to prehistoric cave art, ancient burial sites, snow-covered dunes, and underground oases, the Sahara continues to surprise scientists and explorers alike.
Its secrets — both buried and exposed — challenge our understanding of history, climate, and even human civilization. Whether shaped by nature, ancient technology, or something more mysterious, the Sahara invites us to explore deeper and imagine beyond what we see on the surface.
With climate change and scientific research continuing to uncover new facts about this majestic desert, one thing is certain: the Sahara still holds many untold stories waiting to be discovered.
Have any of these mysteries surprised you? What do you think lies beneath the sands of the Sahara?
💬 Share your thoughts in the comments and keep exploring with us at mhntips.com!
