It is not a “Mexican filter”, it is a Khamaseen sandstorm.

Egypt was struck by a massive African sandstorm, commonly known in Egyptian history and tradition as the Khamaseen.

Today, Generation Z jokingly refers to it as a “Mexican filter.”

Khamaseen sandstorms were recorded in ancient Egypt under the name “Resut,” or “south wind,” and were associated with Set — the lord of the desert, chaos, and storms. Yes, the same Set from the myth of Isis and Osiris, where Osiris was the lord of the Nile and the fertile valley.

The Pyramids of Giza during the storm on Thursday 
Ibrahim Kandel 

They are mentioned in the Book of the Dead, where the south wind is described as “the breath that burns the lungs,” prompting the use of protective amulets or prayers to Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge, to temper Set’s ferocity.

But why were they called “south winds” when they often seem today to come from the west, sweeping in from the Sahara?

In ancient Egyptian spatial understanding, the Nile functioned as a compass, and “south” meant upstream (Khenty). The most oppressive, heat-laden winds originated from the deep interior of Africa — to the south and southwest of the Nile Valley — and were therefore classified as southerly.

الإسكندرية أثناء العاصفة 🌪️🌀
2 إبريل 2025 | hafez pic.twitter.com/1ixloy7SJj

— اسكندرية - Alexandria (@Alexandria_egy1) April 2, 2026

Meanwhile, the “west” (Amentet) was primarily associated with the land of the dead and the setting sun. While sand can indeed blow in from the west, it was the intense heat — the defining feature of the Khamaseen — that was seen as coming from the scorching south.

City of Port Said during the storm 

Centuries later, in Islamic-era Egypt, Resut came to be known as the Khamaseen.

The word Khamaseen means “fifty” in Arabic, referring to the roughly 50-day period at the start of spring — from 21 March to May, with peak activity typically in April.

 Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad Shaykh in Cairo 
by Ashraf Mohamd 

According to medieval Egyptian and Arab historians, these winds usually occurred between Coptic Orthodox Easter and the Holy Pentecost or “Al-Khamsin al-Muqaddasa”.

 Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad Shaykh in Cairo 
by Ashraf Mohamd 

Yes, Egypt looked on Thursday as if it had been photographed under that infamous “Mexican filter” — but this is what Khamaseen actually looks like, especially now.

The River Nile in Cairo by 
Mahmoud El-Khwas

Over the past five years, Egypt has witnessed what many describe as a “massacre” of its trees.

In Greater Cairo, green space per person has reportedly dropped to between 0.5 and 1.73 square meters — far below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 9 square meters per person.

Municipal workers removing tree branches that fell due to the storm
by Asama Gamal El-gafrie 

A study by the American University in Cairo (AUC) found that Egypt lost roughly 75% of its urban tree cover between 2010 and 2023.

In neighborhoods like Heliopolis, about 96 acres of green space disappeared in 2020 alone.

Trees once acted as natural barriers, softening the impact of Khamaseen winds. Today, with so few left, Egyptian cities face these sandstorms exposed — and unprotected.

Unlike others, I still have faith that we are going to replant those trees.

Anyhow Happy Khamaseen.