Araouane
Coordinates: 18 ° 54 ' N , 3 ° 32' W
Araouane is a place in Mali , about 260 km north of Timbuktu , part of the Salam municipality in Timbuktu County .
Araouane was of great importance at the time of the predominant use of the camel for transport purposes through the Sahara , since the place served the caravans as a station on the salt caravan route through its deep wells in the area of the Wadi Oued Tamandourirt . In its heyday there were 1,200 houses here, today 27 of them remain. The other houses are now covered by the Sahara sand. The residents of the remaining houses mostly live in the vicinity of the few wells that have been preserved, which, however, are less and less productive due to the fact that the groundwater level has dropped to 60 m .
Araouane is included in various caravan or off-road vehicle tours by tourism as a stopover on trips to northern Mali.
