Residents of the village of Ain al-Safra in the northern Sahara Desert in Algeria witnessed a rare natural phenomenon: snow covered the golden sand dunes, local resident Abdel Haq told RIA Novosti.

Ain al-Safra is known as the "gateway to the Sahara Desert."

"Near the village where the famous bright orange sand dunes are located, a huge amount of snow has fallen over the past week—now the golden sand is covered in snowdrifts," he said.

According to the agency's source, local residents are enjoying the snow and sliding down the snow-covered dunes.

Snow is a common winter phenomenon in the mountainous regions of northern Algeria, but it is extremely rare in the Sahara Desert.