Taoudenni is a remote salt mining center located in the desert region of northern Mali, situated approximately 664 km (413 mi) north of Timbuktu. It serves as the capital of the Taoudénit Region.
The site is primarily known for its salt production, where salt is extracted by hand from the bed of an ancient salt lake and cut into slabs. This salt is transported to Timbuktu via truck or by camel caravans, known as azalai, which represent some of the last remaining operations of their kind in the Sahara Desert.
Historically, a prison was established at Taoudenni during the regime of Moussa Traoré in the late 1960s. Inmates at this facility were forced to work in the mines until the prison was eventually closed in 1988.