Al Maksam well, northern Mali
Photograph by John Pilkington
Wells are the life-blood of the Sahara, and Al Maksam, 150 km north of Timbuktu, is a gathering place for people and animals from a wide area. Caravans and herders use pulleys, ropes and leather buckets to raise water from a depth of more than 80 m. In a nod to modern technology, inner tubes from old lorry tyres (seen in the foreground) are used to transport the water. Al Maksam is a staging post for the caravans of up to 50 camels that still make the 700-km, three-week journey to the 1000-year-old salt mines of Taoudenni, to return to Timbuktu with blocks of salt for distribution throughout Mali.
John Pilkington
For details of John's books and lectures, visit [http://www.pilk.net].
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