Yurt

A Yurt is a traditional home of the nomads who live on the cold, barren steppes of Central Asia.

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Yurt or yurta is a Turkish word for these portable traditionally felt dwelling places, borrowed as a loanword into many languages, including English. The Kazakhs who use them call them Kigizui and the Mongolians call them ger. However, yurt is the best known word.

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Wooden poles or uuks in Kyrgyz connect the lattice-work walls on the bottom of the yurt to the crown or shangrak (the hole in the middle of the tent for the smoke to escape and light to enter). This wood frame (kerege) is then covered with felt and then sometimes with canvas.

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The crown itself is emblematic in many Central Asian cultures. A stylized version of the shangrak forms the main image on the flag of Kyrgyzstan. In old Kazakh communities, the yurt itself would often be repaired and rebuilt, but the shangrak would remain intact, passed from father to son upon the father's death. A family's depth of heritage could be measured by the accumulation of stains on the shangrak from generations of smoke passing through it.

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Followers of the New Age religion have used the name "yurts" for some of their huts as well. Although those structures may be copied to some extent from the originals found in Central Asia, they have been greatly changed and adapted and are in most cases very different.

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In Europe, most yurt makers are making adaptations of Mongolian and Central Asian styled yurts from local hardwoods. These yurts may have been adapted for a wetter climate with steeper roof profiles and waterproof canvas.

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Unlike many U.S. manufacturers these yurts are very similar to those found in central Asia. In Holland one yurt maker makes exact replicas of Mongolian Gers.

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In the United States and Canada, yurts are made using hi-tech materials. They are highly engineered and built for extreme weather conditions. Often the designs of these U.S. yurts hardly resemble the original designs.

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A diversity of groups and individuals use yurts for a range of reasons from full-time housing to school rooms. In some provincial parks in Ontario, yurts are available for camping.

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Traditional: REDIRECT Tradition...

Nomad: :For other uses see Nomad (disambiguation)...

Steppe: In physical geography, a steppe (from Russian step') is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said to be the norm in the steppe. It may be ...

Yurt related Images and Photos (experimental)

Boy and Baby in Front of Yurt Camp Kyrgyzstan