The idea may seem wild: digging a canal from the Atlantic, somewhere south of Morocco, to flood part of the Sahara and create an inland sea. Yet, this project has been seriously considered several times since the late 19th century. Was it a utopian vision, a geopolitical ambition, or a misunderstanding of the terrain? Let's revisit the history of a dream that could have reshaped the landscape of the Maghreb. The idea of creating a Sahara Sea has fascinated some of the boldest minds for nearly 150 years. As early as 1878, French geographer François Elie Roudaire, supported by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the man behind the Suez Canal, proposed flooding the 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 had an even more ambitious vision: he proposed bringing the Atlantic Ocean into the Sahara by digging a canal from southern Morocco, near Cape Juby (Tarfaya region). He believed the El Djouf region, now part of Mauritania, was below sea level and could be flooded naturally. In time, the new sea could stretch all the way to the Niger River, reshaping trade routes and creating opportunities for agriculture. 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. Artificial canal in the middle of the desert / Image generated by 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. In the 1980s, a Swedish study commissioned by Tunisia concluded that the climatic impact would be minimal, and evaporation would render the water too salty for practical use. The estimated cost of the project, between 11 and 86 billion dollars, was deemed unjustifiable. A Buried Project... or Just Waiting? In 2018, a new initiative called «Cooperation Road» brought the concept back into discussion. The plan was to flood Chott el Djerid in Tunisia to create an artificial sea suitable for aquaculture, tourism, and agriculture. But like previous projects, it faces significant economic and environmental challenges. 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.
