Dust cloud from Africa blankets Cypriot capital

Thick Saharan dust swept over Nicosia, covering buildings and prompting health warnings as residents donned masks, while parts of the eastern Mediterranean also experienced hazy skies.

Reuters

3 April 2026 at 10:20:52

Dust cloud from Africa blankets Cypriot capital

A thick carpet of dust settles over the capital in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 3, 2026.

Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters

Nicosia was covered in a thick layer of Saharan dust on Friday (April 3) as a haze swept across Cyprus from the African continent.

Buildings throughout the capital were coated in dust, while residents wore face masks as they walked through the streets.

The Department of Meteorology of the Republic of Cyprus had warned that air quality may worsen across the island, advising citizens, especially those with respiratory conditions, to take necessary precautions.

Other parts of the eastern Mediterranean were also affected, with skies over the Greek island of Crete turning orange on Wednesday (April 2) after similar dust blew in from the African continent.

-Production: Yiannis Kourtoglou, Malgorzata Wojtunik/Reuters