The sky above Athens turned orange on Tuesday as clouds of dust from the Sahara blew north, casting an eerie glow over the Greek capital's monuments.
The phenomenon is not new: sandstorms from North Africa have enveloped Britain, Greece and Spain in the past, but the event has led to extraordinary scenes around the Acropolis and other parts of Athens.
That's because the dust cloud was more concentrated than those that hit Greece in previous episodes, according to Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory in Athens.
“It's the worst case in years,” he said.
On Wednesday, as the dust had cleared, Greece's Health Ministry urged people to avoid exercising outdoors and to keep doors and windows closed.
Here are the photos of Athens on Tuesday.