Salt mining in Danakil

Hello everybody!

Danakil is basically a harsh desert in Ethiopia, well known for its unique geological features, since it is a depression below sea level surrounded by mountains of the African rift valley. That means in this land you can find many active volcanoes that are still rising because of the drift of immense tectonic plates.

However this sequence is not about Volcanoes (maybe next one ), but it’s mainly regarding Afar people, that since long time ago has been able to cope with this hostile environment in some extraordinary ways. Sony a77II + sony 16-50/2,8 + sigma 10/2.8 fisheye + tamron 60/2 macro


1. Salt expanses after a rainshower


2. Pools


3. Wandering nowhere


4. Displaced


5. Caravan dreaming


6. Salt world


7. Back from work


8. Linked


9. Last sun


10. Farewell



I met first caravans just before sunset at the very end of the road, as they were coming back from salt mines where the workers spent the whole day in carving salt blocks. The unusual rain shower of the day before was covering this part of desert with a shallow sheet of hot salty water. Appearing of caravans walking on the waters in the thick air seemed to me something unreal, an event out of space and time, and thus this first series is intended to describe this first encounter.

[to be continued...]


Edited by maricontis - 04 January 2017 at 05:07

Great! #5 for me too

Great series, I really like 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10. Danakil is a place I would love to go, but safety and a few other reasons prevented me from doing so until now.

An exceptional set with #9 my favorite - the slight bowing adding to and not distracting from the overall image.

travelshots wrote: Danakil is a place I would love to go, but safety and a few other reasons prevented me from doing so until now.

But I felt safe in Danakil exactly as in the northern Tigray region, Ethiopia is in my experience a safe country for foreigners; I have been three times there for work. And I must add this Danakil trips are getting very well organized and regulated by locals, an official military escort is mandatory, even if you are going by yourself; and tourism is nonetheless increasing.

addy landzaat wrote: I was wondering if a B&W conversion of #10 wouldn't be great.

That's what I thought when at home I was checking the pictures, especially that ones taken in the dusk - the following are the ones that give more the idea of "travelling" in my opinion.

11. On top


12. Through the salt lake


13. Riflesso


14. Linked


14. Salt world


15. A newly built road for an old journey




The ethiopian government has committed to chinese companies the building of an asphalt road to connect the country to Djibouti, its important commercial seaport. This road has been completed last year, thus you can see here the impact of globalization to the human activities. It's easy to predict that within a few years the caravans will cease, but who knows?

16. An uncertain future for salt caravans


...next series will be the last, regarding the very process of salt carving under the desert sun.

So pleased these were spotted for the exhibition as I had missed them. the POTW (6) is stunning, though I'd be tempted to prefer 9 and 10. Fantastic images and great use of the fisheye.

Some fantastic photos!
Congrats.