2 hours drive from Mandalay on the west bank of Ayeyarwaddy River there are three villages: Kyauk Myaung , Ngwenyein and Mala are famous for Mataban Terracotta Glaze Pot production well-known as Kyauk Myaung Pot. Glaze pots or terracotta pots are used in Myanmar for storing food and drink, for cooking, home decoration and for ceremonial and religious purposes.
Kyauk Myaung can be reached by road from Mandalay as well as by river way. There are many fishermen villages near Kyaung Myaung , some fishermen do interesting co-operate fishing with Ayeyarwaddy dolphin. Nowaday, Kyauk Myaung Pottery village and Ayeyarwaddy Dolphin famous tourist attraction in Myanmar. Most villagers are skillful artists who can work for different kinds of terracotta glaze products in different size. Their work is the highest quality on a long tradition of pottery making in Myanmar.
For small items production they prepare handmade clay paste by mixing red based clay and yellow clay. All processes from the beginning to end done by free hand. The biggest glaze Kyauk Myaung pot can hold 150vis (200liter of liquid). For those kinds of pot preparation, use machine to grind the dry clay and mixed.
Two or three men work together: one man keep the wheel to turn which submerged in the ground. The other two men work to shape and design the huge pot. Drying process takes about 2 days in dry season. Then it is ready to be fired. Two main glaze color used to decorate for Kyauk Myaung Pots : warm yellow and black glaze. They use wood kilns. Some big workshops have private kilns. Most families do not have kilns and go to the family who has kilns.
For fire process need lots of firewood. Raining season for heavy rain on north of Myanmar, branches of huge tree flow down to Ayeyarwaddy River. Some villagers collect wood in the river with their small boats.
