Only the plumes of white smoke wafting from ventilation holes hint that the large earth mound conceals a kiln. The well insulated kilns emenate a gentle warmth - most welcome on the bright but cold winter morning when I took this picture. The pots in the foreground give an idea of how tightly packed the side streets are in Thimi - not a place to walk around in the dark or after too much of the rather brutal sorghum wine available locally..