If you were wondering what it looks like when a mile-high wall of sand hits a city, look no further.
View this video on YouTube
Egyptian photographer Yousry Aref recorded the video in his hometown in Aswan, southern Egypt. He told the website Egyptian Streets it was the largest sandstorm the city had seen in decades.
Soon, that sand spread north towards major cities such as Cairo, Jerusalem, Amman, and Beirut.
Just to give you a sense of what Cairo normally looks like, here are some before and after shots.
Cairo today vs Cairo normally. The dust and wind are really real.
That is no sepia Instagram filter. That is all sand.
@TamerELG @ahmed هذا المنظر من غرفتي في الفندق الفرق يومين.
Egyptians posted hundreds of photos of their barely visible cities.
You can not see nothing , no effects in the dust storm in #Cairo now #Blogger
I am actually wearing a kuffeya over my mouth and nose while inside the house. Dust everywhere. Even in food & drink.
Cairo today, everyone. You're looking at the Nile and Maspero building is on the left. (by @3mo_shehab)
Jerusalem's landmarks were barely visible.
#Alaqsa #Mosque is seen in #Jerusalem as a #sandstorm hits city #AA #alAqsaMosque
And in many places flights were cancelled due to the strong winds and poor visibility.
Kinda dusty here. Flights cancelled in Israel & I just cleared half the Sinai out my kitchen. Lock your windows!
The sandstorm, known in the region as Khamsin, is caused by winds carrying dust and sand from the Sahara Desert in North Africa northwards. While the sandstorms happen almost yearly, meteorologists say these are the worst storms the region has seen in years.
Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry said air pollution levels were the country's worst in five years and that the storm would last into Wednesday night. Egypt's Environment Ministry also issued a warning for people to stay indoors and to cover their faces while outdoors.