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 km2 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.