according to my best knowledge the great droughts that happened in the 16th century was the last time of agressive and fast loss of agricultural land until modern era but today i somehow suspect it probably as increased in the last 20 years since we´re always debating the global warmth and the last estimates say the sahara will cross the gibraltar straight and occupy parts of southern iberia by 2100 (pessimist expectations)

altough khadaffi discover of the aquifer resources in the sahara might have allowed for the taking of some land back but can´t be sure since i don´t know whats being done with the water i only know alot of it is being taken year round

but the sahara as been expanding pretty much for the last 6.000 years sometimes incredably fast particulary because of unproper agricultural use of the more fertile land (romans berbers arabs and the modern people europeans/colonised people)

fact remainds the sahara will keep drying up unleass something is done and the use of the aquifers bellow it will eventually dry up and eventually only upper up the atlas mountain range and aygyptos will water still be found (except for desalinization ofc but i don´t know much about the current state of the technology)