Buzz
The shifting sands of the Sahara have consumed countless animals, people, and even entire civilizations over time. As the largest hot desert on Earth, it’s a place where the lost are often never found. In ancient times, entire armies were said to have marched into its vastness, never to return.
With the advent of modern technology, we're finally starting to unlock the many secrets hidden within the Sahara. Here are ten incredible revelations that have been buried in its immense expanse for centuries.
10. Forgotten Fortresses
Thanks to satellite technology, explorers can now examine even the densest jungles and harshest deserts without ever leaving their desks. In 2010, satellites discovered over 100 ancient fortresses belonging to the Garamantes people in Libya. These fortresses were found as the oil industry mapped the region in search of drilling sites. Archaeologists, using satellite images to identify the faint outlines of walls, later confirmed the discovery. Their efforts, however, were cut short by the revolution that overthrew Colonel Gadhafi.
When the Garamantes thrived (from around the 2nd century BC to the 7th century AD), the region they inhabited was already a harsh desert. To irrigate their crops, they created an intricate system of underground channels that tapped into ancient water reservoirs. But when these water sources dried up, their fields faded, and the Sahara gradually reclaimed their fortresses and villages.
9. Meteorites and Impact Craters
Our planet has constantly been bombarded by space debris—rocks and meteorites from the cosmos. While most disintegrate harmlessly in the atmosphere, some make it to Earth and leave significant marks. Often hidden by time, erosion, or plant growth, craters from past impacts can remain invisible. However, in deserts, these scars are more apparent. The Kamil Crater in southwestern Egypt, a 45-meter-wide (148 ft) impact site, still clearly shows where an iron meteorite struck about 5,000 years ago.
The Sahara Desert offers more than just meteorite craters. Near the Kamil Crater, pieces of the meteorite have been found, scattered across the sand from the explosion that shattered it. This is not a rare event. Almost one-fifth of all meteorites recovered worldwide have come from the Sahara, as their dark presence stands out against the golden sand, waiting to be discovered. Antarctica’s snowy landscape is the only place more ideal for meteorite hunters.
8. Libyan Desert Glass
Even after the meteorites and their craters have eroded, other remnants of their cosmic collisions endure. Around 29 million years ago, a meteorite collided with Earth with such force that it melted a vast area of the Libyan desert, transforming it into sheets of translucent green glass. While the crater caused by this impact has yet to be located, the desert glass remains, still found in surprising locations.
When Howard Carter uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, one of the treasures he found was a jeweled breastplate (or pectoral) belonging to the deceased king. At the heart of the breastplate was a sacred scarab beetle, carved from green glass. The Egyptians likely had no knowledge of the glass’s origin, but what’s fascinating is that one of the daggers found in the tomb was made from iron, which came from a meteorite.
7. Nabta Stones
In deserts, wherever water is found, life finds a way to survive. Around 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, the area near Nabta Playa in Southern Egypt was subject to annual floods, forming a lake. Neolithic tribes gathered there to provide for their animals and sustain their lives. These people not only managed to survive but also created a culture of sacrifice, with cows, sheep, and goats found buried in ritualistic ceremonies.
Approximately 6,000 years ago, the inhabitants of Nabta set up large stone blocks in a circular formation, with additional slabs radiating outwards. (A replica is shown above.) This stone circle, which predates Stonehenge by 1,000 years, is believed by some to be the oldest known structure aligned with astronomical features. Although there is ongoing debate about its purpose, one researcher suggests that the circle aligns with the position of Orion’s Belt as it would have appeared in the sky 6,000 years ago.
6. Lost River
The Sahara Desert has not always been a barren wasteland. Over millions of years, the climate has shifted, causing the desert’s boundaries to move. Just as scientists study Mars for traces of ancient water, they have also looked into the Sahara’s past. Their findings show that a once massive drainage basin, the world’s 12th largest, once flowed across what is now the Sahara.
The remains of an ancient river in Mauritania were first noticed after an undersea canyon was discovered along the coast, carved by the river’s flow. River sediments were also found in surprising locations. The final confirmation of the lost river came through satellite imagery. This river, now called the Tamanrasett River, likely dried up around 5,000 years ago, and research is still ongoing to uncover more about it.
5. Whales
The Sahara has not only seen rivers vanish beneath its sands; it was once home to an ocean. Over geological time, the Tethys Ocean transformed into one of the driest regions on Earth. In Egypt’s Wadi Al-Hitan, or Whale Valley, remnants of this ancient ocean can still be found. The valley is one of the most significant fossil sites for whale remains, offering key insights into the evolution of whales from land-dwelling creatures to fully aquatic animals.
Around 37 million years ago, the ancestors of modern whales met their end in the ocean, where their bodies were buried under layers of sediment. As the Earth's crust shifted, the ocean floor where they once lived was raised to become land. Today, paleontologists are studying the massive 15-meter-long (50 ft) skeletons, along with the remains of the sea creatures that coexisted with them. Among the whale bones, the teeth of large, fearsome sharks have been unearthed.
4. Machimosaurus Rex
The seas have long been the realm of gigantic creatures. Approximately 120 million years ago, a 9-meter-long (30 ft) crocodile, Machimosaurus rex, roamed what is now the Sahara Desert. M. rex holds the title of the largest ocean-dwelling crocodile ever known. The region where M. rex once lived was likely a vast lagoon that stretched into the Tethys Ocean. With its enormous head, powerful bite, and formidable teeth, it cracked open turtle shells and snatched fish, possibly scavenging the remains of other large creatures.
It may seem paradoxical that the Sahara, home to such harsh conditions, is yielding so many marine fossils. However, the desert's barrenness makes it an ideal place for paleontologists to make discoveries. With minimal plant life and soil covering the rocks, scientists can easily walk through eroding areas and find extraordinary specimens.
3. Gobero Skeletons
Paul Sereno, who has already been mentioned for his work on Spinosaurus fossils, made another groundbreaking discovery during a dinosaur-hunting expedition. He accidentally unearthed what would become the largest known human burial site in the Sahara. The site, located in Gobero, Niger, dates back as far as 10,000 years and provides evidence of a much more verdant and thriving environment. Among the human remains, the skeletons of fish, crocodiles, and other creatures were found. Many of the discoveries were just barely exposed by the shifting sands. After two years of excavation, about 200 human burials were uncovered, revealing two distinct periods of occupation separated by over a millennium.
The Kiffians and the Tenerians, two ancient cultures that lived in this region, left behind fascinating artifacts. Bone jewelry, arrowheads, and harpoons—used to hunt in nearby waters—were among the findings. Some of the burials were especially unusual. One individual was buried with his head placed inside a pot, while another was found resting on a turtle shell. The full details of how these people lived and died may remain a mystery, as the Sahara continues to hold onto its secrets.
2. World War II P-40 Kittyhawk P-40
On June 28, 1942, Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping was piloting a damaged P-40 Kittyhawk, heading for a British base in the desert to get repairs. Somewhere along the way, both the plane and its young pilot vanished without a trace. It wasn’t until 2012 that an oil worker stumbled upon the wreckage. The aircraft was found remarkably intact, untouched by time, and there were signs of a parachute having been used to create a shelter.
The aircraft was later transported to the El Alamein Museum for restoration, but not everyone was happy with the outcome. Some argued that the plane should have been left where it was, serving as a tribute to the fallen pilot. Others criticized the museum’s restoration, claiming it resembled a poorly painted model. Despite recovering the plane, there was no trace of Dennis Copping. His ultimate fate remains a mystery, one of the many secrets still kept by the Sahara.
1. Spinosaurus
Continuing the theme of unexpected aquatic discoveries in the desert, Spinosaurus holds the title of the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever discovered. Living around 95 million years ago, Spinosaurus (also known as Spinosaurus aegyptiacus) reached a height of about 7 meters (23 ft) and measured 16 meters (52 ft) in length, surpassing the infamous T. rex. However, Spinosaurus was nothing like its more famous counterpart. It featured a massive sail-like structure along its back, along with several other unique adaptations that have puzzled scientists. Today, it is believed that Spinosaurus is the only known truly semiaquatic dinosaur.
After the bones of the original Spinosaurus specimen were lost during World War II, it wasn’t until additional fossils were uncovered in Morocco that scientists could begin to study this fascinating dinosaur. Evidence pointing to its semi-aquatic lifestyle includes its long, flat feet designed for paddling and nostrils positioned high on its snout, allowing it to breathe even while nearly submerged. The sight of its massive sail on its back emerging from the water must have struck fear into the creatures of ancient waterways, much like the fin of a modern shark does to us today.
