Teguidda-n-Tessoumt

At Teguidda-n-Tessoumt saline water is led into hundreds of small clay basins cut in terraces down a slope, left to evaporate and the salt then scraped, moulded and stacked, and the basins take on ochre, green and grey tones from the minerals in them so the whole hillside reads as a patchwork. The salt goes to livestock rather than to the table and the caravans come for it.

What you actually see

• The terraced basins - hundreds of clay pans stepped down the slope.
• The colours - ochre, green and grey tones from the mineral content.
• The hand working - salt scraped, moulded and stacked by hand.
• The livestock trade - salt cut for animals rather than for the table.

When to go

November to February is the cool season and the practical window. Evaporation is strongest in the hot months when the site is hardest to visit. Low sun shows the colours best.

Honest expectations

Access needs a guide and four wheel drive from Agadez or In-Gall. The workers are doing hard paid work and photography should be asked for. There are no facilities.

Nearby

In-Gall is southeast, and Agadez is east.