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 and forming an internal sea. Nevertheless, this initiative has been earnestly contemplated multiple times starting from the latter half of the 19th century. Could it have represented a visionary scheme, a strategic aspiration, or perhaps a misinterpretation of the topography? We shall explore the legacy of a fantasy which had the potential to transform the geography of North Africa.

For close to 150 years, the concept of forming a sea in the Sahara Desert has captivated many innovative thinkers. Back in 1878, French geographer François Élie Roudaire, with support from Ferdinand de Lesseps—who was instrumental in building the Suez Canal—proposed inundating part of it. chotts (salt lakes) in Algeria and Tunisia through the construction of a canal from the Gulf of Gabès. The aim was to enhance the fertility of the area. Nonetheless, due to significant geographical inaccuracies and extremely high expenses, the initiative was swiftly abandoned, as historian Jorge Álvarez outlines in his work. article for LBV .

A number of years prior, a Scottish engineer did this. 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 (Tarfara 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.

Nevertheless, Mackenzie, who had never set foot in the location, depended on flawed information. Unexpectedly, the area he planned to inundate turned out to be at an elevation of 320 meters above sea level, contrary to what he believed. Ultimately, his initiative crumbled due to scientific inaccuracies and colonial conflicts, as both France and Spain opposed any possible enhancement of British authority in the zone.

Man-made channel situated in the heart of the arid desert / Image produced using Grok

The Sahara Sea Dream

Despite these failures, the idea of creating a sea in the Sahara never fully disappeared. In the 1930s, German and American engineers revived similar projects in Tunisia, inspired by the mysterious Lake Tritonis mentioned by ancient writers. In the 1950s, newly independent Tunisia established ARTEMIS, an association tasked with studying the feasibility of a Sahara canal.

Egypt also pursued a similar idea with the Qattara Depression, located west of the Nile Delta. In the 1960s, the United States even proposed using nuclear explosions to dig a canal that would eventually create a man-made lake, but the project was abandoned due to environmental concerns and diplomatic issues.

During the 1980s, a research initiative led by Sweden and funded by Tunisia found that the climate effects would likely be negligible. They also determined that due to high levels of evaporation, the resulting brine would become excessively saline, making it impractical for most uses. Additionally, the projected expenses for this endeavor ranged from $11 to $86 billion, which were considered unreasonable.

Buried Project... or Simply Paused?

In 2018, a fresh proposal titled "The Cooperation Road" reignited discussions around this idea. This plan aimed to inundate Chott el Djerid in Tunisia with water to form an artificial sea intended for fish farming, tourism activities, and agricultural purposes. However, similar to earlier initiatives, it encounters considerable obstacles related to economics and ecological impact.

When considering a canal originating from Morocco, it currently belongs more to the realm of science fiction rather than being a practical possibility at present. Nevertheless, with ongoing threats posed by climate change and desertification in the area, what were once considered utopian visions might eventually lead to real-world answers. Even without an extensive canal project reaching into the Sahara, Morocco has initiated the initial stages of one such endeavor. water highway project This initiative seeks to channel water between the Sebou and Bouregreg river basins. The extensive project has the potential to move up to 860 million cubic meters of water annually from Rabat to Marrakesh.