Taoudenni
Tawdenni | |
|---|---|
  Taoudenni Location within Mali | |
| Coordinates: 22°40′N 3°59′W / 22.667°N 3.983°W | |
| Country |  Mali |
| Region | Taoudénit |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Taoudenni (also Taoudeni, Taoudénit, Taudeni, Berber languages: Tawdenni, Arabic: تودني) is a remote salt mining center in the desert region of northern Mali, 664 km (413 mi) north of Timbuktu. It is the capital of Taoudénit Region.[1] The salt is dug by hand from the bed of an ancient salt lake, cut into slabs, and transported either by truck or by camel to Timbuktu. The camel caravans (azalai) from Taoudenni are some of the last that still operate in the Sahara Desert. In the late 1960s, during the regime of Moussa Traoré, a prison was built at the site and the inmates were forced to work in the mines. The prison was closed in 1988.
- ^ "Mali : Taoudeni, contrée historique" (in French). 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2017.