An amateur photographer has captured rare and beautiful images of the first snowfall in the Sahara desert for nearly 40 years.

Karim Bouchetata photographed the fleeting scene on Monday in the small Algerian town of Ain Sefra, which lies in the Atlas Mountains on the northern edge of the desert.

In his images a thin layer of snow rests on deep orange dunes, where he said it stayed for about a day, and forms whirling patterns where the slopes are too steep for it to settle. Snow was reportedly last seen in Ain Sefra in 1979, when a half-hour snowstorm stopped traffic.

Sahara snow Show all 7 1 /7 Sahara snow Sahara snow Snow in the Sahara near the town of Ain Sefra, Algeria Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography Sahara snow The thin layer of snow formed whirling patterns where the slopes were too steep for it to settle Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography Sahara snow Karim Bouchetata captured the vibrant images on 19 December Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography Sahara snow It is the first time in almost 40 years that snow has been seen in Ain Sefra Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography Sahara snow The spectacle lasted for about a day Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography Sahara snow Ain Sefra is only about 1,000 feet above sea level Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography Sahara snow Karim Bouchetata, an amateur photographer, captured a series of rare images Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography

Mr Bouchetata said: "Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert, it is such a rare occurrence.

"It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos.

What it's like to cycle across the Sahara

"The snow stayed for about a day and has now melted away."