At the edge of an oasis almost engulfed by the dunes, where the rare caravan still passes, is a desert landscape punctured by holes.
The salt pans of Kalala, near Bilma in northeastern Niger, were once an essential stop for traders with their swaying lines of camels.
Salt digging, carried on from generation to generation, was a thriving business, involving a commodity so precious that it was bought and sold across the Sahara and beyond.
Today, in this isolated desert region plagued by armed gangs and smugglers, the diggers struggle to survive.
Over centuries, hundreds of pits have been dug by hand and then filled with water to leach salt from the local rock.
Standing in the black- and ochre pits, Ibrahim Tagaji and a colleague were wrestling with a crowbar to harvest the bounty — a method of extraction that essentially remains unchanged over time.
A blisteringly hot day, when the temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade, was coming to a close.
Barefoot in brine swimming with crystals, the two men dug out salty chunks and pounded them into grains, which were then scooped out with a gourd.
They then poured the salt into moulds made from date palms, forming slabs that were then ready for sale.
It is punishingly hard work, rewarded by an income that fluctuates according to whichever buyers happen to pass through town.
