The Sahara is one of the planet's great deserts and has shaped both political and human development on the African continent for thousands of years. Huge empires arose here in the middle of the desert - for example the Egyptians - at the same time a large part of the country was always considered barren and hostile to people. However, researchers have now discovered that the famous desert may have looked very different in the past.

Around 5,000 years ago, parts of the desert are said to have had lush vegetation and even been home to people. In this video you will find out what happened to the Sahara and what it originally looked like.