What is "tessalit"

Tessalit is a rural commune and village in the Kidal Region of Mali. The village is the administrative centre of Tessalit Cercle (district). The village lies 85 km north of Adjelhoc and about 70 km from the Algerian border. The commune extends over an area of 30,000 km that is almost entirely desert. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 5,739. It is served by Tessalit Airport.

Tessalit is an oasis in the Sahara desert and a stop for trans-Saharan travellers. A gypsum deposit and a plaster factory also contribute to the local economy, though all of these activities have been disrupted in recent decades by the Tuareg Rebellion and terrorism in neighboring Algeria.

The Malian government have a military base at Amachach, 7 km south of the village.

Tessalit is situated in the mountain range of Adrar des Ifoghas. It is primarily populated by Tuaregs and is the home of the musical group Tinariwen as well as the poet Souéloum Diagho. The village is twinned with Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France.

The cercle of Tessalit contains the communes of Tessalit, Adjelhoc and Timtaghene.