Libyans flocked to the plateau of Jabal Al Akhdar and the city of Al Bayda on Thursday to enjoy a blanket of snow that has been building for days in the north-eastern parts of one of the driest countries in the world.
Residents of Jabal Al Akhdar, or Green Mountain, and its regional capital, Al Bayda, woke to snowfall on Tuesday, an occurrence that was once a rarity but has been increasing during winter.
“The snowfall continued for hours forming a layer that ranged between 4 and 8 centimetres in thickness, and temperatures have been between zero and minus 4° these days,” said environmental researcher Abdulsalam Kowaider.
Mr Kowaider measured the snow’s thickness himself because of a lack of meteorological centres in that part of the country.
With schools suspended since Tuesday in Al Bayda due to the extreme weather, children and families went outdoors to have fun, engaging in snowball fights, and dotting squares and streets with snowmen of different sizes.
Hamida Al Darsi, a student of agriculture at Omar Al Mukhtar University, travelled with her family to the forests in Jabal Al Akhdar, taking photos of the snow and the beautiful sights of the white-covered trees.
“We did not care for the chilling cold at these heights,” Ms Al Darsi told The National. “Once we saw the snow blanketing Bayda city, we joined the many other families in the streets and forests to play with snowballs and take pictures of the whiteness."
Despite the official holidays declared by the government in the eastern parts of Libya, streets were busy with people who came from across the country to see the snow.
Young campers from southern and western Libya came to the city of Bayda, historically known as the City of Snow, to camp in the forests, especially in coldest Seedi Al Hamari, and enjoy the experience to the fullest.
Walid Al Orfali travelled 1,200 kilometres from the capital Tripoli with his friends to camp in the forests of Jabal Al Akhdar.
“It may snow in western cities, even in Tripoli, but the snow quickly melts and is gone within hours," Mr Al Orfali said.
"But the snow in Bayda is thick and it lasts. We came to camp for a few days in Seedi Al Hamari and enjoyed the snow all through."
Indoors, families upheld the long tradition of cooking warm dishes associated with the chilling winters and falling snow.
Nouria Al Burousi, 65, said she enjoyed having authentic dishes such as megata and mathrouda prepared for her children and grandchildren when they were ready to come indoors from the cold.
“Al megata is a dish of handmade pasta-like dough, which is mixed with tomato sauce and a lot of hot chilli, while al mathrouda is a meal of bread, butter, dates and nuts, which is also served hot,” Ms Al Burousi said.
“As snow falls outside, I make us warm cups of green tea with thyme and mint leaves, which I’ve picked from nearby forests, and nuts and wild mushrooms which the kids collect from nearby fields.
“These meals are only prepared when the whole family comes together in freezing winters, as they’re loved by everyone, big and small.”
This article was written in collaboration with Egab.
Snow in the Middle East - in pictures
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A snow-clad village in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon governorate, about 52km south-east of Beirut. AFP -
Cedar trees are blanketed in snow in Lebanon. AFP -
A man walks in the snow in Erbil, Iraq. AP Photo -
Snow fills the air in Erbil. AP Photo -
Israel's border with Syria is covered with snow, near the Druze town of Masada. AFP -
Syrians drive their cars on a street as snow falls over Damascus. AFP -
A child removes snow from the top of a tent at a camp for internally displaced people in the northern Aleppo countryside, Syria. Reuters -
A child stands in the snow in Salat Zagrous, a camp for internally displaced people, in northern Syria. EPA -
A camp for internally displaced people in the town of Raju in the rebel-controlled northern countryside of Syria's Aleppo province. AFP -
Children at a camp for internally displaced people in Raju have fun in the snow. AFP -
A windy day in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
Reindeer in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. AFP -
The Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. AFP -
The Roman ruins at Baalbek in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. AFP -
Snow-covered houses in the town of Sohmor, western Bekaa, Lebanon. Reuters -
Amadiyah, a town built 1,400 metres above sea level and located about 75km north of the city of Dohuk, in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region. AFP -
Snow-covered mountains around the town of Amadiyah. AFP -
Iraqi Kurds perform a traditional dance near Safin Mountain, close to the city of Irbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region. AFP -
Israeli armored corps soldiers, fix their tank chains during snowstorm near the Israel-Syrian border in the annexed Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams. EPA -
Children slide on the snow at the Kucukcekmece district in Istanbul. AFP -
A child plays with a cat in a snowy park near of the Suleymaniye mosque in Istanbul. AFP -
A young Syrian boy clears the snow covering a tent at a camp for internally displaced people, near the city of Jisr al-Shugur on the border with Turkey, in the Idlib governorate of northwestern Syria. AFP
