Around 10,000 to 5,000 years ago, the Sahara Desert was a lush, green landscape with rivers, lakes, animals like hippos and giraffes, and even human settlements. This happened due to changes in Earth’s orbit, which shifted monsoon rains northward during a period called the African Humid Period. Evidence like fossils, cave art, and lake sediments support this. Around 5,000 years ago, the climate shifted again, drying the region and turning it into the desert we know today.