In ancient Sumeria there was an uprising against the king. The king defeated the rebels but wanted to capture all their leaders, so sent his greatest general to hunt them down.
The remaining rebels had taken refuge in an abandoned step pyramid. Because it was so chilly at night, they lit a fire for warmth. The general saw the smoke coming from the step pyramid and quickly seized the rebels.
And this is how we got the saying “The searching general has determined that smoking ziggurats is hazardous to your stealth.”