This concept might appear outlandish: excavating a channel from the Atlantic Ocean, just below Morocco, with the aim of inundating portions of the Sahara Desert to form an internal sea. Nevertheless, this proposal has repeatedly garnered serious attention since the latter half of the 1800s. Was it merely an idealistic fantasy, driven by political aspirations, or perhaps due to misconceptions about the area? We shall explore the past of a notion capable of altering North Africa's geography forever.
For close to 150 years, the concept of forming a sea in the Sahara Desert has captivated many forward-thinking individuals. Back in 1878, French geographer François Élie Roudaire, with support from Ferdinand de Lesseps—who was instrumental in building the Suez Canal—suggested filling part of this region. chotts (salt lakes) of Algeria and Tunisia by digging a canal from the Gulf of Gabès. The goal was to make the region more fertile. However, topographical errors and prohibitively high costs quickly put an end to the project, as historian Jorge Álvarez details in an article for LBV .
A few years earlier, Scottish engineer Donald Mackenzie envisaged an even grander idea: he suggested introducing the Atlantic Ocean into the Sahara Desert by constructing a canal starting from southwestern Morocco, close to Cape Juby (The Tarfaya region). He thought that the El Djouf area, currently within Mauritania’s borders, might lie below sea level and could potentially flood naturally. Over time, this newly formed sea could extend as far as the Niger River, altering trade routes and opening up possibilities for farming.
However, Mackenzie, who had never visited the area, relied on incorrect data. Contrary to his assumptions, the region he aimed to flood was actually 320 meters above sea level. His project ultimately collapsed under the weight of scientific errors and colonial tensions, with France and Spain resisting any potential British influence in the region.
Man-made channel situated in the midst of the desert / Image produced by Grok
The Sahara Sea Dream
Even though these efforts did not succeed, the concept of establishing a sea in the Sahara never completely faded away. During the 1930s, German and American engineers reignited related initiatives in Tunisia, drawing inspiration from the enigmatic Lake Tritonis referenced by early chroniclers. Then, in the 1950s, following its independence, Tunisia founded ARTEMIS, an organization aimed at investigating the viability of constructing a Saharan channel.
In the 1960s, Egypt considered a comparable concept for the Qattara Depression, situated southwest of the Nile Delta. During this period, the U.S. suggested employing nuclear blasts to excavate a channel aimed at forming an artificial lake; however, these plans were scrapped because of ecological worries and geopolitical complications.
During the 1980s, a research initiative led by Sweden and funded by Tunisia found that the climate-related effects would likely be negligible, with high levels of evaporation making the water impractical due to excessive salinity. The projected expenses for this endeavor ranged from approximately $11 to $86 billion, which were considered unwarranted.
Buried Project... or Simply Paused?
In 2018, a fresh proposal titled "The Cooperation Road" reignited discussions around this idea. The scheme aimed to inundate Chott el Djerid in Tunisia with water to form an artificial sea designed for fish farming, tourism activities, and agricultural purposes. However, similar to earlier initiatives, this project encounters substantial obstacles related to economics and ecological impact.
As for a canal from Morocco, it is more science fiction than a viable reality today. However, as climate change and desertification continue to threaten the region, yesterday's utopian dreams may inspire tomorrow's solutions. In the absence of a grand canal to the Sahara, Morocco has already launched the first phases of its water highway project , which aims to transfer water between the Sebou and Bouregreg hydraulic basins. This ambitious project could eventually transfer 860 million cubic meters of water per year from Rabat to Marrakech.
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