re the stove

2 posts down.

This is a typical stove- built of mud/clay. It forms most of the wall between the living room and the hallway. The living room has the niche in the wall that you see the kitten on. This is used for keeping things warm (and for keeping kittens warm!). Often, it is a long flat platform that is not enclosed and can be used as a bed. My first summer here, I slept on one of those things (not lit, mind you) for several weeks- put a mattress on top and there you go! Back in Jan 2008, I wrote about the death of a friend. During her final illness and weeks at home, her bed was on one of these stoves- it was the warmest place in the house and done especially so that she would be as comfortable as possible.

I'll have to see if I have some more pix of these stoves. The other side of the one in this post has the opening for adding wood (or coal) as well as the burners to use for cooking. They're a regular institution and very much a part of traditional village life.