Salem al-Arimi, originally from the area, looked out nostalgically over the expanse. According to local elders, “all the houses in the village were invaded by the sand that assailed them 30 years ago, forcing the inhabitants to leave their homes,” he said. Building tops and sections of stone wall emerge here and there, bearing witness to those who once lived here. Deserts are expanding all over the world, pushed on by climate change, and affected populations have few weapons to fight back. Wadi al-Murr’s inhabitants, who mostly relied on pastoral activities, had to give up their village, swelling the ranks of those migrating to towns and cities.