ger\yurt info booka technical pictorial

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ger\yurt infobooka technicalpictorial byFROIT

These pictures have been collected off the internet in januari2004.My sincere apologies to those people who made them available, fornot asking their consent to use them for this project. However I thinkit is nessesary to clear-up a lot of mistakes in the available yurt-info,and these pictures serve my purpose very well. Thanks guys, I couldnever have gotten such a wide-ranging covering of this subject on myown.

*The pictures I have used are chosen for clarity in showing one or twodetails, and since these are mostly technical the pictures neededgood resolution. Therefore they are quite big.

*They are grouped around their three countries of origin, which alsoclearly demarcates the division of yurt-styles. I will try to show thatthey are 2 totally different constructions:

*The mongolian/chinese style: relatively flat roof, Sharp angle ataeves because of straight roof-sticks, or UN. Un butt into the wheel,or TONOO, walls slope slightly inward, bagan stay in ger.*The Kirgiz style, steeper pitched roof with bent un, which go throughthe roof-ring or TUNDUK, walls vertical, pitching-pole is storedoutside.

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sometechnical andmongolianexplanation

I prefer to use the Mongolian words and names, for parts of the ger:Lattice wall-pieces: HAN, a living-ger has 4, 5 or 6 han. All han areidentical, except for the 'kitchen-han' which is half a crssing shorter.Roof-sticks, or rafters: UN, 15 un on 1 han, and 6/8 on the door.Roof-ring: TONOO, with 66, 81, or 98 holes (nught)door and/or doorframe: HADDAGHTonoo-supports: BAGAN, normally 2 per ger.Circumference-ropes: BUSS, 1 inside and 2 or 3 on the outsideRoof- or top-blanket: URGHSmall rope-loops on down end of un: Bridles (this is english!)The best ger-frames are made of local larch, which splits easily and isrot-proof. The ger lasts 'a marriage' which means 30 to 40 years. Thesize of the ger is defined by the number of han, not by the metricdiameter. However, since han and in fact all parts of ger arestandardized throughout mongolia, the rule is: 4-han=5.10 mtr, 5-han=6.2 mtr and 6-han=7.3 mtr. The latter is rarely used for living,because it is considered to big to heat.A mongolian ger is covered in several layers of different materials, butnot all of them go all over, and not all tents have all of them: 1st: Inside liner, of white cotton, 2nd: felt, in several handy big pieces, on all tents. No ger without felt.3rd: canvas for waterproofing and 4th: outer cotton cover (not waterproof) for sun-proofing.

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about me,and aboutthis book...

I am known in the tent-world as FROIT, (get that spelling right), andhave been living in, and building yurts/ger since 1996. In that summerI was taught the main dimensions and construction methods by myteacher Looda in Orchon valley, Mongolia. With living I mean year-round, northern european weather, out on a field with no protectionfrom rains or winds (or sun, luckily). Living also means to movewherever the action has forced us to move, and we've come toappreciate the mongol ger as quick, easy, ,durable and repairable.So far (early 2004) I/we have built 20 ger and 3 yurt, while constantlylooking to solve problems arising as they came, from the weather,from moving, as our knowledge and craftmanship accumulate.From my visit to mongolia in 2002, to check-up on details, we havecome to conclude that, their design being the best in the world,alastheir economic situation does not allow them the perfection they wereable to achieve. We, at home in holland, with nearly infinite energy-supplies and modern machinery and materials (glues, felt, canvas),can make a much better ger. Actually our mongolian friends hereassure us that WE MAKE THE BEST GER IN THE WORLD.I find it sad to see so many young people searching and trying tomake something that looks like a yurt, waisting a lot of materials andtime and energy for lack of information. I hate waiste, so....It is time to spread some of the original facts. From the people who know, me and over there..

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mongol flag

Mongolia,independent,democratic, theonly country in theworld with anomadic majority. More than half thepopulation lives ingers, even in thecity. Worst climatein the world to livein tents. Nowonder themongolian ger isby design the besttent in the world ..

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mong-welcometo mongoliaBig 6-han ger,painted doordecoration,probably alsoinside. Appliquedecor ofHAMMER onoutside cover.Mounted onconcrete basewith wooden-slatswinter-skirt.Concrete base isonly a ring, filled inwith rubble, thenwoodenfloorpanels arelaid .

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mong-blue un

painting the framemakes cleaningeasier. blue topsseem to beoldfashioned,today all I haveseen are yellow/orange. The whiterings in betweenare there "to quietthe eye".Buss is paced 2crosses below topof han, tocompensate forlength-variationsin un/reigns.

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mong-pitchingsequence5-han ger. Ger islike living animal:bones, flesh, skin.The felt is the fatof the ger, and it'smuscle.Ger without felt islike skin-and-bones, not strong.Pattern on side isextra length ofbuss.Extra un are usedfor pushing uproof felt and thento press overlaynext to haddagh.

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mong-buildinggerNobody inmongolia everquestions theheight of the han.Pitching becomesreal hard work ifthey were higher.The lowmongolian profilepreserves heatinside, yet allowsplenty standingroom, since bythe walls there isalways beds andother furniture.

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mong-pitchingcanvas walls!5-han ger. strikingpicture:only example ofmongoliansputting WALL-canvas on.Usually walls areonly felt andcover.Picture ismirrored,haddagh openswrong way. Italways opens onthe right with thehinges on the left,as seen fromoutside.

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mong- kitchenwith floor!5-han ger.Summer may behot, especiallywith two stovesinside. This ger isa two-burner-restaurant atNaadam festival.Wooden floor isfor cleaningbetter, and stablefurniture. Busskeep all thecoverings fromflying off in astorm, or gust.Buss make gerstronger.

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mong-summersloping han5-han ger.Rolled up coverslet in air, darknessof felt keepssunlight out.Han-slat spacingis small enough tokeep dogs OUTand small childrenIN. This pictureshows how wallsslope inward,which results fromdecreasing hole-spacing as theyrun upward.Makes gerstronger.

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mong-summer,lakeSummer-place bylake (Huuvsgool?).Sides are lifted,pile of fuel justoutside. Life isgreat, even withpart of the covertorn off after itrotted over winter.Wind is west, asusually. Ger facesalways south, sothis is earlymorning. Lets gohave breakfast!

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mong-solar ger

Althoug manypeople think youshouldn't pollute'indiginous'cultures withwestern ideas,mongolians arequick to pick upthe possibilities tolearn about newhorizons. Favoritetv shows are'NationalGeographic' and'Miami vice"...

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mong_tv!

Summer nightscan be quit warm.Mogolians arevery up-to date onlocal and worldinformation.Radio's and tv'severywhere in thecountryside.Plenty solar-panels too, andgenerators andalas, tons ofempty cheapbatteries.

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mong-2 gerscarsJust outside thecity. 4-han and 5-han ger. Betweenthe 2 poles is ahigh rope for"parking" horses,so they don'tgraze!Check the marksleft by earlierpitchings. Scarseverywhere. In theback mares arebeing milked.Airak is summerstaple-diet.

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mong-motorcycle5-hanl ger.Summer windblowsThe felt is rolleddown, doorclosed, yet tonoois still withoutwindows. Outsidecontraption isdestillery boiler tomake ARKHI fromfermented cow-yogurt, started offwith a cup ofAIRAK, fermentedmares-milk.Door is blue as itshould be.

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mong-4 gerrainbowRains fall regularlyevery day in julyand august, butnever for verylong. Annualprecipitation isaround 50 mm.Still mongolsprefer to put alayer ofwaterproof(imported) canvasin between feltand cotton cover.Cotton coverprotects canvasfrom sunlight (UV).

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mong-transportyak-cartIt takes two yak-carts to transporta 5-han ger.(count the holes,there must be 81).A 4-han fits onone cart.4-han is 20sq mtr,5-han is 30, oneand a half timesthe surface and 2times the weight.A yak can pull oneton, they said.

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mong-twoyaktrnsportBeing inhabitedby professionalnomads,Mongolia is one ofthe safestcountries in theworld fortravellers. Thesetwo girls havenothing to fearfrom anyone, oranything not evena flat tyre.

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mong-cart andlake, blue han!Nice place, nicecart. It takes aman a week tomake a cart, thenit may last for fiveyears. Ger has blue-painted walls. Nobudget fordecorated coverthough.

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mong-transporttractorMoving goesanyway you can.Here comes acomplete ger,with furniture andall, and the cattle-corral. Curvedobjects on bottomof pile are thebent walls, bagango on the sideand the tonoo ontop

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Mong-transportcartsUnloading at newplace. , If not in ahurry pitchingtakes hours, but itcan be done inone hour,including makingfood.

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mong-transporttruck packingPacking-up takesa keen sense ofspace andsequence. Han goin first to raisetrucksides, peoplego on last! Thewhole thing takestwo hours, fromlast cup-of-tea toon-the-move. Endof summer mostmongols movefrom lower river-fields up intowooded areas, tofind shelter andgrazing.

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mong-winter+window!Simple people,simple life, butwhat a tent!5-han, threelayers of felt,canvas and cover.This is a warmger, so warm theyopened a windowfor the well-cladvisitors, who justleft and made thispicture. Noteextra storm ropeover front andback, held tight bystones. No garteron this ger.

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mong-urgh ondoor!Winter-pitching:skirts and graveldyke against cold,as well as multiplelayers of felt, plusa urgh of otherger. It works sowell that onewindow is out!Urgh (top blanket)is normally felt,covered withsingle cotton onboth sides. Canclose whole weel,but is NEVERopened more thanhalfway.

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mong-wintercampMongolian Motelde luxe! Centraland right-handger have windowsin roof. In winter two germake one double-thick ger. Insummer onewinter-ger will be2 separate geragain. Doubleurgh doesn't workso well, so ithangs over thehaddagh, as anextra felt-door.

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mong-2 ger insnowPath around gershows theabsence of guy-ropes. If you needyou put thesummer-camping'maichen'over thetop. Maichen is ablue canvas ridge-pole tent used forshort stays, andtravelling. Ifmongols movethe ger it is for atleast a week ormore. In Gobisome familiesmove 20 times ayear.

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mong-whitezuudWinter can behard. Winds mayblow. Snow maypile up. Yet theseger have no guy-ropes or pegs orinnerstrenghtening!Peole wave torelief-helicopterleaving.2001 and 2002were very badwinters in someregions inmongolia.

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mong-skirts!

Altangerel, wifeand grandchildshow the use ofcanvas-skirt tokeep draft out.Wooden haddaghis covered with alayer of felt toinsulate, and keepit closed in a gust.Object next tohaddagh is theholy horse-sweatwiper, with a blueribbon attached.Horsesweat isgood fortune.

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mong-white!

mongolians willput glass, if theycan afford, andpaint everythingorange if theyhave time. Thishaddagh is lockedwith the usualplank restingagainst it.Confusing photo;cover is brandnewbut badly placedor made, thoughger has beenthere for quite awhile. See grassaround bottom.

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mong-hotelJalmangersGer-hotel withwooden-slat skirtson all gers. Slatsare not painted,so the wholeplace is probablybrandnew.Blue decorationon big ger isreminiscent ofearlier garters.

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mong-hotel plusbig gerGer-hotel withrestaurant-ger (2stovepipes) andmany privatesleeper-ger.Big ger hascanvas or feltskirt. Haddagh isblue on the inside,to not disturbFeng-shu, whichis the same withhaddagh open orclosed.

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mong-hotelstones!Row-pitching isstandard, alsooutside of touristcamps.Everybody hasfree view outfront, and privacy.Most westwardger is favoriteposition, becauseit gets no smokefrom neihgbours.Most families have2 to 4 ger pitchedin summer, 1 or 2in winter. Checkstone to keepurgh down, notpegs!

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mong-bigdecorated gerFor big ger thedecoration-budget stretchesfurther. This ger issouvenir shop,(without stove).There are manytourist ger-campslike this all overthe country. Anight in a ger costaround 20 dollar. (one month'wages for thecook.)

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mong-insideblue!5-han blue ger .Two single beds,a 2 seeter couch,washing cabinetand one(!) chest.Stove is standardmarket-quality (1mm thickness).Stove platform isvery common.Ger is pitched as'ready for sale'.This ger may costan annual salaryfor aschoolteacher.

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mong-insidedecoratedDecorationsenhance and up-value the ger bytwo. Urgh is neveropened more thanhalf. Checkwindow-frameswith toggles toprevent them fromflying out instorms. Urgh will"float" up, fillingvacuum suctioncreated by curvedger-roof. (Likeaeroplane-wing).This is inside myfirst ger,a 5-han.

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mong-bagan!exampleA little extraattention to thehome-decorationis normal aroundthe world. Checkcurved bagan-tops. Thisdecoration iscalled "3-colour",which means 2hues of the samecolour plus white.Curly bits are'dragons' thatsupport 'heaven'.

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mong-insidecloth!Inside wall-linerwith it's tworibbons. (Thesecond ribbon iswhere the unmeet the han).Furniture isnormally allpainted in onestyle. This is afour-bedarrangement, soit must be a 5-hanger. Bagan haselectricity-socket!

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mong-RestaurantProperly-hunginner-wall clothtakes two ribbonsand a lot offiddling. Most gerare orange, butnowhere you canby orange paint.All decorators Iasked say theymix themselves.Decorating is aspecialism, as aremost other jobs:han,tonoo,un, felt.Nobody makes awhole ger byhimself.

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mong-insidenice orange!Motel-ger, withRED storm-rope.Stormrope isalways RED, atleast the tip of it.Mongols find thisreally important.Nice orange-and-decoration un.Inner liner is ahassle to hang,but providesdead-air space(hangs vertical,with a narrowedge on topcoming forward.)

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mong-inside bigger High-wallrestaurant. Han-cover is drawnaside to revealguilded knot-covering studs. Inbig ger the hanare not stretchedto square angles.Walls are alsomuch higer.Sitting is on lowstools, mongolsrarely seat theirguests on thefloor. Paintingsare all roll-up,travel-ready.

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mong-leopardskinsSad to see all theleopard-tails, butnice furniture andgold-coverd han-knots. Richnomads will pitcha ger like this forthe wedding of adaughter, or toentertain friends ata big gathering.

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mong-insidecafeGer-cafe, checknewspapermounted inwooden slats.Nice chests areallways made inpairs. Sewing-machine isoptional.

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mong-twistedbagan green unRich familypresentation-ger.Striking position ofbagan, centre-back. Bed-curtains can beclosed for heatand privacy, butare not verycommon.Soetetse isbrewing in thewok, expectingvisitors.Check GREENpainted un andsweat-wiper.

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mong-han tohaddaghCheck haddagh-khan connection,pressed into a slotby buss-pressure.Wall-felt has nowhite cover, this isquite usual incountryside ger.Since walls rarelyget canvas-clad,having no liner willdry wall-feltsbetter after a rain.

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mong-bridleless! unCheck fat han-slats, andbridleless un-to-wall connection.Looks like in theold Shelter-book.Roof and wall-liners seem to besown into onepiece. Bed is incans with water toprevent climbinginsects fromdisturbing thegood sleep.

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mong-fat han!

The proper way towake up grandpa.Check fat han-slats. This tent isas old as hismarriage. ( seemissing un).As raggedy as it s,2 blue curtainsgive some kind ofdecorum to theold man's bed.Tha men areexchanging snuff-bottles, the way ofgreeting.

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mong-felt only,window!old style museum-ger, no canvas orcover. They evenremoved thehaddagh (butforgot the hinges)to put the old-style felt-onlyhaddagh.This ger is not forliving, but touristslike it. Most likely itis a souvenirshop.Concrete base isfor often-usedspots, especiallyin tourist-camps.Check windows intonoo.

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mong-garter!

Oddball picture,strange haddagh(inverted?),but nice 'garter'which keeps thefelt down in agust. Todaygarters are usedfor decorationonly on 'covered'gers, executed inthin cloth appliqueon the outercover. Looks likethis ger is maybein china.

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mong-gerdjengis-2old-style ger, usedfor restaurant in'djengis khanhotel', ishistoricallydubious. "old-style ger" are onlymade for rheirattractiveness, intourist camps and"open airmuseums".Mongolians todayare franticallysearchig for theirroots after 60years comminism.

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mong-antiqueger5-han small ger.Han have 12 uneach. (total 66 un,like in big-4 hanger) No canvas orcover, woodenhaddagh,beautiful furnitureand greenishpainted un. Oldestsurviving ger inmongolia.Went to many anexhibition.Was never used,which is why shesurvived.

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mong-UBoutskirtsUlan-bataarsuburb, half ger,half shack andshantie. All gershere are either 4or 5 han (5 or 6meter diameter.)Nowadays manypeople arebuilding log-cabins, becausethey fit betteraround a tv and acouch, but livingconditions are stillpioneer style. Norunning water orsewer.

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Naadamgigatent+maichenBig portabletemple atnaadam. Blue tentin front isMAICHEN,mongolian traveltent. Material iscotton duck,backed with asewn-on layer ofbedsheet-cotton.Waterproof tomongolstandards.Decorations arestiched on,perforating cloth.Two uprights anda ridgepole, 12pins.

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naadam plentymaichenNaadam field.Plenty Maichen,plenty Ger, eventhe president'sstretch limo! Fornaadam they likewestern tents verymuch. It lasts onlythree to five daysfor most people,then the grass isgone-horses gohungry. 800 gergathered in 2002,with 5000 horsesand all the otherfood 'on the hoof'.

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mong-SPACE

That's what livingin ger is all about,SPACESince mongolia isbasically nomadic,there ara nofences in thecountry, save fortwo, left and rightof the railroadtracks. The bestuse shepherdshave for fences isto make ger out ofthem, or burnthem...

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orchon waterfall

To prove there iswater in mongolia:100ft(30mtr)Orchon waterfall.Only waterfall inthe whole country,and I swam in it!(very cold).Mongols do notlike to swim instreams, to avoidpolluting the waterfor thosedownstream.Fish is not eatenout of respect forBuddha, who wasa pisces.

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ourtz

Also in mongoliathey heve tipi's,but they call'emOurtz. 12 polesallways, 2separate piecesfor the cover, alower and a top-piece. No smoke-flaps or lining.One new pole iscut every timethey pitch. Polesare birch, with alimited life-span.People survive on/with rendeer.

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china sectiona red book

For a long period todays mongolia and todays china were oneempire. It was unified by djengis in the 12th century. After his deathKubilia move the centre of governement to Xanadu, the gardens ofBejing. Soon after the mongols/herdsman/nobles in the steppes northof the wall proclaimed the move illegal, and over a period of a fewcenturies the power drifted away, back to Karakorum, the old'capital'. The life in the steppes changed very little, except maybe thearrival of Buddism. Then disaster struck in the form of communism.Herdsmen need to be free in their roaming, since livestock in thisclimate allows no delays for administration. It dead or alive. Both inmongolia and the province of Inner Mongola in China collectivation was implemented, with disatrous results. In no time all monasterieswere closed, monks killed, and decision-making structures abolished.Both regions were overgrazed, but the fat was wasted or exported.While mongolia saved it's butt, inner mongolia was 'saved' bysubsidized farmers immigration. It went through the same motions ofsucces and desaster as the wild-west of america. Today Han-chineseare a vast majority, and agriculture is fading out. Oficial programs tore-introduce the traditional herding founder on thedemands of spaceby overpopulation. Inner-mongolia is lost 4ever. Frantically trying torecover, the only ger left in china are showpieces, remembering aglorious past. Inner-mongolia has it's own RED BOOK...

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mong-chineseshowpieceChineseshowpiece-ger.According tomongolians"nearlyright". Checkmissing un!

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mong-chinatouristhotelTourist-hotel,worst pitchingever. Grass thishigh wouldn't lasta day in mongolia,the cattle wouldeat it. Innermongolia is arepeating of theinfamousDustbowl-experience inamerica in the1920's.Bejin exploits theheritage of it'sopressedpeoples, like inTibet.

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mong-china-garter!Nice garter on thisotherwise poorger. (cardboardon doorframe).Big pane of glssshows this is nota nomads tent, itwould never last.Ger is coveredwith a separatepiece of canvasforroof and walleach. The doorhas a lock, veryun-inviting, andrare in mongoliaproper.

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mong-chinagarter!+skirt!Tourist centre/china. Ger haveelectric light, andguy ropes??? Gerhave nice(chinese?) bluewooden skirts.This is china-disney, wheredjengis was areally bad guy, buthis poor sheperdsare so cute and inneed of help.

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mong-insideblue! ceilingInteresting printedcloth for ceiling.Seems to bemongol ger butwithout bagan.

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kirgiz yurt,and theirdifferenceswith mongolger

Most stiking differences between mongol and kirgiz yurts are thecurved roof-sticks, the storing of pitching-pole outside, and thegeneral use of felt doors. Structurally the tents are seemingly thesame, but at closer look you will see many differences. First, andmost important is the flexibility of the kirgiz frame, which relies muchmore than the mongol on the strenght of the cover (felts, canvas) andthe buss/ropes to maintain it's shape. Especially the made-to-shapefelts with their low diagonal stretch define the final yurt. In the mongolger the frame of it's defined size will dictate the shape (flat) and cut ofthe felts, and not vice versa, as in kirgiz yurt.Another difference is the tying of knots, un-to han in the kirgiz, wherethe mongols use loops. Same around the doorframe , where kirgiz tietheir han with several knots, and the mongols slip it in a groove in thehaddagh. Because of their curved un kirgiz must use protruding tipsthrough their tonoo, mongols can do with 'blind' holes, allowing themto develop the much stronger built-up tonoo. With all their

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kirg-two! bagan

Obviously a kirgiz-tyle yurt, butsupportd by twobagan this tent isreally in between.Kirgiz for roof-ringis tunduk. Unlikethis one theycommonly aredivided by an oddno. of saplings.

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ger-historytekeningFrom themongolian book'ger', a theoreticaldrawing of theevolution of tipi-style tent toround-house, andin to two style ofger/yurt. It alsoshows thelowering of theprofile, as openfires werereplaced bystoves andstovepipes.

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kirg-flag

Kirgiz nationalflag. Yes that is asteam-bentmultiple-dividerTUNDUK. Oddnumbers usually,to fit the onebagan, a forkedpitching pole ofjust the rightlenght, catchingthe centre cross.

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kirg-presidentsyurtPresidential yurt,not really a tentbut more like afixed structurewith 3 woodenfloors. Likeanything in theworld you canmove it, if youwant, in otherwords, I don'tconsider it a tent.

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kirg-big!wooden floorPattern on roof isfrom ropesholding rear roof-felt. This ismirrored on theinside by thosefrom the front.Pitching-poleoutside, whereasmongols leavethem alwaysstanding inside.Rope pattern onroof is from rear-roof-felt. Samepattern on insideis from front-roof-felt.

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kirg-touristhoteltourist-hotel. Yurtis felt-and-cottoncovered, becausetourists complainabout leaks. Roof-openig is coveredwith plastic sheet.Kirgiz sew covercanvas and liningto felt, makingreplacement veryhard, but pitchingquicker.Still, apitching-race isalways won bymongol ger.

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kirg-alg

Some yurts have2, others 3ribbons on eachside of each roof-felt, creatingdifferent patternsover the door.Bottom corneralso has a shortribbon which tiesto buss,circumerenceropes that holdwall-felts (3 wall-felts on this ger) toframe

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kirg-open! fire

Open fire. Notsuch an oldpicture, but thesepeople cannotafford a stove.Check the storm-ropes, tuckedaway as in allother pictures. Itseems noforeigner was everpresent when theytie to big stones,but all myteachers say theydo it. Weight(stone) is the keyto pegless tents.

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kirg-inside radio

Newlyweds intheir new yurt,with their latestacquisition, thestereo in matchingcolour! Yurt isnew, as seen fromthe whiteness ofsewn-on whiteliner on felt.Zebra-patternedribbons fix front-roof to frame.Floor is plaingrass! Yurt isobviously freshlypitched.

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kirg-bedding

Kirgiz yurt have 2,sometimes 3 or 4tension-bands.One just belowthe top of thewalls, and one upabove the curveof the un. Withweak or oldframes one isadded below thefirst and a wideband betweenfirst and second.Red paint isstandard forframes.

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kirg-twin! walls

Tipical bent-un towall fixture is withties and knots.Rope above iswrapped aroundeach un, startingat the door, tostop them fromtipping. Split wallsgive an option touse only one layerduring winter,reducing height.Also makes use ofmore plentyfullshort slats.

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Kirg-insideprotruding! unBent-un yurtshave bent-wood(thinnish) tundukwith the unprotrudingTHROUGH. Thisgives a littletolerance inlength-variation. Itis only after fittingthe heavy felt thatthey all fit snugly.

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kirg-tunduk

Clearly are seenthe protruding unthrough thetunduk, toaccomodate forslight varioationsin un-length, dueto differentcurvatures. Eachtree is different,therefore alsoeach piece owood, and eachun. Un tips areROUND.Strangely tundukis divided by 4(even).

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kirg-inside snowleopardSad for us to see ,for the local kirgizshepard asnowleopard skinis just a sign ofwealth/goodfortune. Ropes infront of bedsshow this is anexhibition-yurt.Not many peoplecan keep such aneat house.

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kirg-karded!woolOld yurt (unmissing) with whatconstitutes theriches of thefuture: a stack ofcarded wool instriking colours,for any project inthe future. Missingun are a sign ofwear, not a designfeature. Yurts aremeant to last alifetime, even withmore than halftheir parts brokenor missing.

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kirg-oetmoektwin! doorsNice plain yurt inthe countryside,with doubledoors. It offers thepossibility to usethe one the windis not blowinginto. Opening oneleaves a verynarrow passagethough, especiallyif you ente with apail of freshsheeps-milk.

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kirg-bycicle

Simple cottoncover over felt.Strangely thereare no ropesholding the roof-felt on the invisibleside. They shouldcome around theback, and crossover the other 2.Roll-up felt dooris still common inKirgizstan.Highthreshold keepsdust out.

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kirg-roadsidekitchen!Beautiful exampleof the rigging ofroof-felt retainingropes.Tunduk is dividedby five strut eachway, which seemsto be mostcommon. 2stovepipes meanthis is a food-processing yurt,which we wouldcall a restaurant.

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kirg-springcleaningAfter a wintercomes the time toremove a layer offelt. This yurt hasbeen here for awhile (see bottomw/ stones).Normally kirgizshould move'when the grass infront of thethreshold is wornaway'. Goodpractise if grass isthe only ediblecrop to producefood, drink andfuel.

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kirg-transportcamelCamel with yurtwaits patiently asit's owner makeshis 3 veneratingrounds around theOvoo, piles ofstones found atimportant places,like mountainpasses andcrossroads.Signposts on thespiritual road, aswell as thephisical.Obeyingtradition bringsgood luck.

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kirg-transport-bagan!Yurt on the move,this time on theback of horses.Wheremongolians wouldnever ever use ahorse to carryloads, kirgiz seeno harm in that.Check-outpitching-pole, witha fork to catch thecentre cross in thewheel-struts. Thisis why there arealways an oddnumber of struts.

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kirg-transport-5camelsSo it takes 4camels to movethe yurt, and thehousehold.On all camels maybe seen thestrange 'chair-bed' which servelater in the yurt asfurniture.

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kirg-bagan+stormropMake-shift bagan,4 storm-ropesclearly visible. 2seems to be morecommon. Han-to-door connectionis whacky, un-rithm willfalter.(there will bea gap next to thedoor. Could bethis is a reducedolder yurt whichhas lost one of it'sold han.Kitchen-han isalways half acrossing shorter.

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kirg-bagan inusebagan and storm-ropes are used tostabilize tunduk,at the right level.After all un are inplace it is storedoutside. Judgingfrom the heightthis is a very bigyurt. Strangely thistunduk has only 4dividers, buthangs nicely level.Through holesmay be seenclearly.

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kirg-pitchingtouristsTourists help(?...)pitching.Shepherds usuallypitch with nomore than twopersons. Noteman in centre withpitching-pole. Inthe far right is thestove. Yurt-tourism is a bigthing in Kirgizstan.It shows in theabundance ofKirgiz pictures oninternet.

90

kirg-pitching-bagan!After felt walls thefront roof-felt goeson. Man in frontpushes withpitching-pole,man in back pullsfelt-edge ropesThis yurt is on aprepared concretefloor,so possibly itis a hotel-yurt.

91

kirg-door!

This is how you fixone of those feltdoors. Notepitchng-pole infront. Judgingfrom the clothingit also rainssometimes inKirgizstan, butwaterproofing isnot a concern forshepherds.Tourists complainand solutions arebeing sought. Sofar no real solutionis found.

92

kirg-pitchingdownLooks like takingdown the yurt,because stonesare around theoutside base, asthey have been fora while. In this yurtthe reeds are onthe outside of felt.Outher picturesshow thecontrary. It isprobably addedas needed, andtaken away whensupurflous.

93

kirg-blue! door

Nice to see theblue door-frame,and the village-likesetting. Notepitchng-pole, andtree-trunk forweight on theside. Judgingfrom the grass infront of the door itis high time tomove. Alas 50years communistsystem hasseriously curtailedthe shepherds toroam as theywould before.

94

kirg-high tops

Most strikingfeature on thispicture is steeppitch of roofs. Idon't know wherethis is, I suspect itis a local or tribalfeature. Urgh areturned away fromsunlight, to keepyurts darker, thuscooler. Closer yurtalso has a big gapnear the ground,to let in coolground-air.

95

kirg-silkroad

As the foamoussilk-road windsthroughKirgizstan, youmay be lucky andfind this lonely yurton its banks. ( thegravel in front is areult of preparing'the silk road' forincreased'Cultural tourism'.Kirgizstan rankslowest on Kyoto-scale ofsustainability.

96

kirg-plastic! urg

Standard yurt,with stovepipe onthe side, andplastic extra coverover tunduk. InKirgiz tunduk it isnearly imossible tomake framedwindows, as themongols do.Due to the manydivisions of struts,and the irregularcurve, a sheet ofplastic is maybenot traditional, butvery functional.

97

kirg-reed-3

A nice row ofyurts, withinterestingpatterns of tie-ropes on the roof.Loose rope toclose urgh onevery yurt. Reedsclearly go outsideof felts on thewalls. Highthresholds keepthe dust out.

98

kirg-kazakh

Is this a big yurt orare these smallpeople? It'soriginal internet-information says itis Khazakh, whichmeans muchmore northwardthan kirgizia. Urghis turned awayfrom wind, toincrease venturi-effect, drawingsmoke out. Urghmay be changedvery often, andeasily, by 4 ropeson its corners.

99

hanloos frame

Not all yurts havehan, see thisexample of asmall tent I foundin a mongolianbook. It seemsalso in mongoliasome peoplesettle for less thana full ger. Thisframe getscovered with felts,probably second-hand ger roofs.

travel-yurts

Yurt withoutwalls#2. I founddrawings in oldbooks, now hereis a picture.Seems to be asummer-camp. Insummer felt is agood insulatoragainst heat, andit keeps the lightout of the tent.

100

noord iran kopie

Yurt withoutwalls#2.Shasavan peoplein northern Iranstill use this typeof tent. It is calleda luxury asopposed to blackgoat-hair strech-tents, which are initself a totallydifferent story.'Black tents' arewoven, not felted,and a perfectsolution for a dryhot climate, as insahara, saoudiand Persia.

101

ger\yurt infobook historicalknowledge

Accounts of 'felt tents' go back to roman times, but descriptions areflimsy. Most of that information is available elsewhere on the net. Myaddition is the current 1000 tugrik bill (nowadays US$1).The picturesfollowing first are copies of earlier drawings, or based on hearsay.They come from illustrated islamic books from the middle-east. Mosttents look like guy-roped pavillion tents with a kirgiz-style tunduk.Whether this is authentic is unclear, but it could be an interestingoption for making a fire in a pavillion. Could also be that it is amisinterprentation of the stories heard by the artist that made thedrawings. Also, these drawings cover 4 centuries, and are very likelypartially copies of each other.

102

oldpics-red yurt oldpics-yurt-tent

oldpics-yurt/tents

oldpics-yurt-tent2

103

oldpics-2yurt-tents

oldpics-highyurt

oldpics-yurt-tent3

oldpics-yurt

104

oldpics-yurt+maichenOf all the oldpictures this is theonly one thatclearly shows theabsence of guy-ropes, making thisa real yurt/ger.

mong-1000tugrikFantasmagoricalengraving from17th century,portrayingdjengis's' ger onthe move. Noscientificjustification found.Backgroundscenes areinteresting, theyshow 'Kirgiz',older style yurts.

105

shelter cover

This picture wasthe start of mysearch forfreedom, as itmust have beenfor many others. Ifyuo still want toknow more, gotowww.yurt.nl, orwww.shelter, orwww.gerbouw.headshake.nlOr mail mestam126@zonnet.nl