Tunisians have been sharing extraordinary pictures of their snow-covered nation after they were hit by winter storms on Sunday.
Over a thousand people in the northwestern province of Jendouba were trapped in their cars on Sunday evening during heavy blizzards. Meanwhile, ten emergency shelters were set up in schools and sports centers as temperatures dipped to minus five.
While winter snow is not unusual in the Tunisian highlands, this year’s storms have been particularly intense, producing some very social media-ready photos.
The Roman ruins of Dougga in northern Tunisia, a World Heritage site, looked like this on Monday:
Les ruines de Dougga - Tunisie sous le neige #Tunisia #Tunis #Dougga #Weather #Snow #ruins #heritage #welcome #visit #photography pic.twitter.com/S3u6OAnu0y
— Adel Azouni (@adelazouni) January 16, 2017
Foreigners have expressed their surprise that a country which includes the northern edge of the Sahara might have such wintery weather:
A Canadian
I thought I could escape the snow this winter by going to Tunisia. Lol, what can you do! 55cm of snow, there is more than in Quebec.
A French woman
Quand une amie d'enfance m'envoit des photos de la #Tunisie sous la #neige. Je crois je vais attendre avant d'y aller pic.twitter.com/CfNKZK0vqG
— Touristissimo (@touristissimo) January 16, 2017
When a childhood friend sends me photos of Tunisia under the snow, I think that I’ll wait to visit.
However, Tunisians were quick to challenge their assumptions:
On a aussi de la neige en Tunisie pic.twitter.com/5xd7DQmM4r
— Rayén (@rayenoximore) January 17, 2017
We also have snow in Tunisia
Thala (a town in northwest Tunisia) this morning
Aïn Draham (a city in northwest Tunisia) right now
#تونس_المزيانة #عندراهم #ثلج pic.twitter.com/r4cIcR8XlF
— rihab jebali (@jebali_rihab) January 17, 2017
This commentator praised the efforts of emergency workers in Aïn Draham:
Others took the opportunity to have a laugh:
The creations of Tunisians haha. If you don’t share them, it must be because the cold stopped you!
(Picture reads: Hello, any chance of a ride?)
While the snow may be fun for some, the bad weather has hit some of Tunisia’s most deprived areas, including the provinces of Kasserine, Kef and Siliana. A nine-year-old girl died earlier this month in the region as a result of the cold, according to local media.
RA
