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A House to Go

The yurt (mongolian: Ger) is the traditional dwelling of the nomads in Mongolia, as well as in the neighbouring countries, over to as far as in Turkey. It is a tent-like structure made from a wooden frame and covered by wool felt. A traditional yurt is very easy to collapse and assemble again, and it can be transported on no more than three animals (horses, camels, yaks). Today it will fit nicely on a small all-terrain vehicle.

A Mongolian family entertains a guest in their yurt

Genghis Khan Has Just Left the Building...

The constructive principle of the mongol yurt has changed little since Genghis Khan's times. Only a few elements were adapted to newly developed or imported technology, such as carpentry. This made it possible to craft a wooden crown similar to a wheel in place of a simple piece of wood bent into a circle. Even more obvious are the use of a wooden door instead of a felt curtain, and of course the iron stove with a chimney in place of open fire.

We have tried to collect as much information as possible about this beautiful dwelling type. We did so out of architectural and cultural interest, and also simply because we care. Even if the nomadic lifestyle is still very much alive in Mongolia, it will continue suffer more and more changes by modern influences, which may eventually amount to a real threat. We hope we can contribute a little bit to keep the tradition alive!