عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Freezing Temperatures Fail to Dull the Alexandria Waterfront Appeal

Street food vendor working at Alexandria’s promenade corniche, Asharq Al-Awsat
Street food vendor working at Alexandria’s promenade corniche, Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Freezing Temperatures Fail to Dull the Alexandria Waterfront Appeal

Street food vendor working at Alexandria’s promenade corniche, Asharq Al-Awsat
Street food vendor working at Alexandria’s promenade corniche, Asharq Al-Awsat

High winds and crashing waves did not manage scaring off some of Egypt’s marine view lovers who rushed, namely in Alexandria, to see the northern coast on a rainy day.

Soha Salah, who recently moved to Alexandria, says that she and her husband choose to take regular seaside strides even if weather forecasts warn incoming heavy showers.

“Ever since we moved to Alexandria I eagerly wait for downpour to go out for a walk. Winter here has a unique accent. I love gazing upon high waves breaking and crashing against coastal rocks and the feel of a mix of wind and rain gusts brush against my cheeks,” Salah told Asharq Al-Awsat while citing the awe found in the occasional post-storm rainbows.

“We can walk for hours and I wouldn’t feel tired,” Salah said.

Alexandria locals find exceptional joy in the calm-accompanied winter visiting their city, which is otherwise packed with tourists for the summer.

Alexandria’s waterfront was built back in 1925 over six strenuous stages that birthed what today has become one of the city’s precious jewels. Restaurants, cafes and kiosks breathe live to the whole marine view as well.

The waterfront has also secured itself a special place at the heart of the works of many writers and artists who cite the location as a characteristic feature of Alexandria.

Renowned British author Lawrence Durrell in his The Alexandria Quartet tetralogy mentions the significance of Alexandria’s promenade corniche.

Street food sellers are another highlight not to be missed when exploring the waterfront. Despite winter’s freezing temperatures, Mohammad Saber pushes his cart packed with ice cream.

“My work starts at 8 in the morning and lasts till sunset, and cannot be halted even in extreme weather. Ice-cream buyers seek the treat whether it be during hot summers or a cold winters,” Saber tells Asharq Al-Awsat.

“I need every pound, so that I support myself without needing to ask anybody for help,” Saber added.

Unlike Saber, other street-food vendors choose to offer passers-by the comfort of a hot baked potato, freshly roasted peanuts, and warm tea during a rather frosty weather.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Rare Sahara Floods Bring Morocco’s Dried-up South Back to Life

Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Rare Sahara Floods Bring Morocco’s Dried-up South Back to Life

Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

In Morocco's southeastern desert, a rare downpour has brought lakes and ponds back to life, with locals -- and tourists -- hailing it as a gift from the heavens.

In Merzouga, an attractive tourist town some 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of the capital Rabat, the once-parched golden dunes are now dotted with replenished ponds and lakes.

"We're incredibly happy about the recent rains," said Youssef Ait Chiga, a local tour guide leading a group of German tourists to Yasmina Lake nestled amidst Merzouga's dunes.

Khalid Skandouli, another tour guide, said the rain has drawn even more visitors to the tourist area, now particularly eager to witness this odd transformation.

With him, Laetitia Chevallier, a French tourist and regular visitor to the region, said the rainfall has proved a "blessing from the sky".

"The desert became green again, the animals have food again, and the plants and palm trees came back to life," she said.

Locals told AFP the basin had been barren for nearly 20 years.

A man leads his camels along the shores of Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

Last year was Morocco's driest in 80 years, with a 48 percent drop in rainfall, according to an October report from the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM).

But in September, torrential rains triggered floods in southern parts of Morocco, killing at least 28 people, according to authorities.

The rare heavy rains come as the North African kingdom grapples with its worst drought in nearly 40 years, threatening its economically crucial agriculture sector.

Neighboring Algeria saw similar rain and flooding in early September, killing six people.

North African countries currently rank among the world's most water-stressed, according to the World Resources Institute, a non-profit research organization.

The kingdom's meteorological agency described the recent massive rainfall as "exceptional".

It attributed it to an unusual shift of the intertropical convergence zone -- the equatorial region where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet, causing thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

The sun sets behind the dunes at Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

- 'Climate change' -

"Everything suggests that this is a sign of climate change," Fatima Driouech, a Moroccan climate scientist, told AFP. "But it's too early to say definitively without thorough studies."

Driouech emphasized the importance of further research to attribute this event to broader climate trends.

Experts say climate change is making extreme weather events, such as storms and droughts, more frequent and intense.

In Morocco's south, the rains have helped partially fill some reservoirs and replenish groundwater aquifers.

But for those levels to significantly rise, experts say the rains would need to continue over a longer period of time.

The rest of the country is still grappling with drought, now in its sixth consecutive year, jeopardizing the agricultural sector that employs over a third of Morocco's workforce.

Tourists take pictures at Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

Jean Marc Berhocoirigoin, a 68-year-old French tourist, said he was surprised to find Yasmina Lake replenished. "I hadn't seen these views for 15 years," he said.

Water has also returned to other desert areas such as Erg Znaigui, about 40 kilometers south of Merzouga, AFP reporters saw.

While the rains have breathed life into Morocco's arid southeast, Driouech warns that "a single extreme event can't bring lasting change".

But last week, Morocco's meteorological agency said such downpours could become increasingly frequent, "driven partly by climate change as the intertropical convergence zone shifts further north".