For most people, pictures of sand dunes baked by relentless sunlight come to mind when they think of the Saudi Arabian desert.
Those sands, however, have just been blanketed in snow.
Several recent snow and hailstorms in the region have changed landscapes in and around Saudi Arabia, igniting local excitement and creating a social media craze.
Locals flocked to admire the unique sight as Saudi photographer Osama Al-Habri snapped aerial photographs of Badr Governorate, southwest of the Islamic holy city of Medina, dressed in white.
Winter weather of this intensity in the Badr desert area, according to Al-Harbi, is a rare occurrence that hasn't happened in years. It was a "historic hailstorm," he said.
The scene was swarming with tourists, according to the Saudi photographer who captured the images on January 11. Many had driven miles for a look of the frozen countryside.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the National Center of Meteorology in Saudi Arabia had expected moderate to heavy rain in the Medina region, as well as gusts, reduced visibility, and hail, around the time of Al-Harbi's arrival.
According to Reuters, snow fell in northwestern Saudi Arabia this week, covering the city of Tabuk, near the Jordanian border, and neighbouring mountains on February 16.
Source : CNN Travel