Yurt

The yurt ( Turkish Yurt, home ') is the traditional tent of the nomads in Western and Central Asia. It is particularly prevalent in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. From the yurt and the camp formed therefrom also the German name for Horde roving ( armed ) nations derives, such as the Golden Horde.

• 3.1 yurt homes
• 3.2 yurts in the Boy Scouts and youth movement

• 5.1 Scout yurts

Central Asia

The Asian yurt ( Kazakh киіз үй, KIIS uj; Mongolian гэр, ger; Kyrgyz боз үй, bos uj ) consists of a round wooden frame, which is covered with cotton and Filztextilien. They can usually be dismantled and re-erected in less than an hour and can be packed relatively small, so that for the transport of a simpler sufficient yurt two camels and a small SUV.

Mongolian yurt

The wooden frame of a Mongolian yurt is usually made of several, usually four or five shoulder-high scissor grilles for wall pulled apart, are bound to each other and stand together with the looking always to the south door frame in a circle. In the middle two about two to three meters high posts support the "crown ", a round soffit. In openings at the edge of the canopy rods are inserted and connected to the wall grid straight. The roof bars usually have an inclination of about 30 °. In the doorway a solid wooden door is used instead of the formerly usual Filzvorhangs. Earlier this scaffold was placed on the steppe, today it is often on a round wooden floor. The yurt is not anchored to the ground and not attached by tent ropes and pegs.

The mounted above this skeleton cover is made of several layers: At the bottom is a thin, light cotton cloth as a headliner, it a thick layer of wool felt for heat insulation, which originally served as a waterproof cover. In winter, three or even four layers of felt are placed. Today impregnated canvas is used as the third layer for sealing. Frequently about a thin bright cloth is still down, mainly for reasons of design, some with sewn- colored patterns. To the yurt two or three horizontal ropes are lashed, as well as some ropes so that a self-supporting, stable structure is formed diagonally across the roof. The openings of the crown may be fully or partially closed by a long rope with a triangular canvas. The lower edges can be turned up in the summer to produce a pleasant room climate. From the crown of a rope hanging down, is hung from the storm with a heavy object (eg, bag), thereby stabilizing the yurt by their own weight and enlarged to hold.

In the middle of the yurt is a small stove ( instead of the previously usual open fire ), whose stovepipe protrudes through the crown without touching the fabric cover and a low dining table. At the edge are beds that serve as daytime seating, and one or two dressers. Recently, finds himself in front of some yurt also a solar module. For the transport of such a comfortable yurt truck is ordered.

The sturdy Mongolian yurt with straight roof poles and two mullion is a relatively modern form. The older and lighter design with the wall inwardly bent roof poles is outside of Mongolia (eg, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan ) still in use. In still older forms the opening in the center was not completed by a flat crown, but cylindrically turned up to the top. The chimney effect produced thereby helped dissipate the smoke of the open fire.

The yurt is reflected in their facility against the social and the spiritual order of the people living in it. Each family member is assigned his place and its scope in the yurt exactly. Room layout and equipment are highly optimized to allow for the limited space and the sometimes extreme climatic conditions, cooking, working, living and sleeping. A variety of rules of conduct to be observed. The simpler require that you enter a yurt with his right foot without the threshold to touch, no longer than necessary standing stays inside and does not move between the two posts.

Even today, have yurts in Mongolia is of great importance; not only the nomads, but also parts of the urban population live for part of the year or year-round in the yurt, some of which is warmer in winter than the houses. For event purposes, there are occasionally large yurts for thirty or more persons and correspondingly more expensive equipment, but follow the same design principles. Even on hot summer days can be produced in these yurts by high binding of the side walls with no air conditioning quite a pleasant room climate. For tourists there are yurt hotels where slightly larger yurts eg are equipped with twin beds and serves a very large yurt as a dining room.

The Mongolian yurt is well adapted to the climatic conditions of the country with the extreme temperature differences. However, please be aware that they at altitudes above 1000 m with correspondingly thinner and usually dry air and frequent winds is. Precipitation in a poor country usually

On the famous cartographer Abraham Ortelius Map of China from 1584 several Mongolian yurts are shown. This ( west facing ) card is the first published in the West detailed map of China.

Kazakh yurt

Although the Kazakh yurt follows the same design principles, but differs from the modern flat Mongolian yurt from high side walls, roof poles, which are secured with curved ends on the walls and steep ascend to the crown. The yurt has hence round shoulders and a steeper, higher roof. The outer cover usually consists of a beige or gray fabric. The Shangrak called crown is broken down into usually by several perpendicular intersecting thin rods. The coat of arms of Kazakhstan shows a stylized Shangrak.

After the Kazakh population was forcibly settled in 1930, the Kazakh yurt does not serve more than year-round home, but only in the summer as accommodation on pasture walks.

Modern yurts in North America and Europe

In the late sixties in the United States of America was the movement of the Yurt People by Bill Coperthwaite who have taken over the construction of the traditional yurts, but modern materials inserting. From the movement then several companies that yurts in a modern style, some with full comfort as kitchen and bathroom, developed arisen.

In recent years, with the advent of documentary films from Mongolia, but also the sustainable tourism there, the yurt has been made even more popularity and so many yurt builders have also established itself in Europe, the build year-round habitable yurts, which are also in our European climate with higher precipitation are.

Derivations

Yurt homes

Following the yurt also solid yurt -like houses have been developed that make use of the basic geometry and statics of the yurt, but use a rigid structure: the roof bars are bolted in the Holzjurte and built the walls of wooden panels, they form so no circle, but a polygonal interior.

Yurts in the Boy Scouts and youth movement

Yurts in the Boy Scouts and youth movement are carried under the umbrella term black tents of the Boy Scouts and youth movement. This no longer meet all the original models, they are adapted to the needs.