Villagers in the Sahara Desert were stunned after snow fell in the desert for the first time in 37 years. The snow brought about a chilly atmosphere for the people.

Those who witnessed the event said it is the second time in living memory that snow has fallen, with the last occasion being in February 1979.

The pictures were taken by amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata in the small Saharan desert town of Ain Sefra, Algeria, yesterday afternoon. He captured the amazing moment snow fell on the red sand dunes in the world's largest hot desert, Dailymail reported.

Snow was last seen in Ain Sefra, which is known as 'The Gateway to the Desert', on February 18, 1979 - when the snow storm lasted just half an hour.

This time the snow stayed for a day in the town, which is around 1,000 metres above sea level and surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.

Karim said: 'Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the dessert, 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.'

The Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa and it has gone through shifts in temperature and moisture over the past few hundred thousand years. Although the Sahara is very dry today, it is expected to become green again in about 15,000 years.