[1] Abalessa is located along the ancient Trans-Saharan trade route, 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the city of Tamanrasset, the capital of the province.

This 1,500 year old monumental grave is dedicated to the Tuareg matriarch Tin Hinan, and vestiges of a Tifinagh inscription have been found on one of its walls.

In his book Mysterious Sahara: The Land of Gold, of Sand, and of Ruin Khun de Prorok attributed the skeleton to Tin Hinan.

Today, the skeleton is on display at the Bardo Museum in Algiers, while the monument where it was discovered continues to be a popular tourist attraction in Abalessa among visitors to the Tamanrasset.

There is significant vegetation in the river valleys; the area belongs to the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion.