Descriptive Essay About My First Khamasin

‘Khamasin’ was the word that stuck with me when my husband was describing the Egyptian climate a couple of years ago. At the time, we were having one of our many pre-departure discussions on all things Egyptian before our diplomatic posting to Egypt. I remember voraciously Googling the word ‘Khamasin’. It was described as the dry, hot, and sandy local wind that blow from the south towards North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The word itself is derived from the Arabic word for "fifty”, as these dry, sand-filled windstorms often blow sporadically over the course of 50 days.
In Egypt, the khamasin usually arrive in April, but occasionally occur between March to May, carrying great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts at a speed up to 140 kilometers per hour, and a spike in temperatures up to 20 °C in two hours. I remember wondering to myself, “If this is what happens before summer, what exactly happens during summer time – it must be unbearable!”

I must say it hasn’t been as unbearable as I thought to tell you the truth. Coming from Canberra, Australia, I did miss experiencing and enjoying all the four seasons and the clean, crisp air but with time, I have gotten used to Egyptian weather. I experienced my first Khamasin last year, with its rapid sandstorms and really fine sand particles descending on my pristine washing, hanging outside on the verandah. In fact, the fine dust was everywhere; the whole city was covered with a thin brown veil. You couldn’t really open up the windows and the sunlight was very dim, as if filtering through a thick suspended layer of sand up high in the sky. It was a surreal and strange experience, like an apocalyptic event, no sunlight for days and sand particles filling the sky and every space – even in the nooks and corners of your ears and nostrils. I found it difficult to breathe, sneezing and coughing non-stop for days with no relief in