Sabkhas are salt flats where brackish water has come to the surface and has evaporated, typically leaving a smooth surface with high concentrations of salt in the existing substrate of clay, silt and/or sand. This environment is generally inhospitable to plants, only a small number of species (halophytes) have adapted to these conditions. The bacterial communities living in the sabkhaproduce a pink to brown to greencolour on the surface, giving this landscape an otherworldly appearance.