Buildin’ a Yurt

The yurt is the traditional housing for the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. In ancient times, the Kyrgyz would move with their flocks from pasture to pasture and they needed a mobile dwelling that would not only keep them warm during the harsh winters, but would be easy to set up and take down with regularity. There felt and wood construction materials are all readily available in the mountains and it requires no tools whatsoever. They are actually a fascinating feat of engineering.

Soviet-occupation led to a decline, but not an elimination of, yurt usage. People moved into urban areas (often against their will) and there was less need for moveable dwellings. The yurt is still used commonly today for people who take their flocks out to summer pasture (known as “jailoo”) or for tourism purposes. My family uses it for the latter in the summer.

Last week we built our family yurt and it was just as much fun as someone who doesn’t speak the language fluently can have on a construction site. The first step is to build the circular base of the yurt which eventually becomes the walls of the dwelling. The next, and most entertaining, part of the construction process is the raising of the “tunduk”(pictured). The tunduk is raised by hoisting it up with a chopped down tree and then placing support beams into it and then securing them to the circular base. The resulting structure forms the frame of the yurt (pictured).

Once the frame is built the yurt is wrapped in a series of thick felt blankets that serve as protection from the wind and the cold. The final step requires placing one final blanket on top of the tunduk that can be removed to let the sun in, let smoke out, and keep the inside protected from the rain. The tunduk is considered to be a almost holy part of Kyrgyz tradition. The tunduk is so important that it is actually the center of the Kyrgyz Republic’s flag.

Anyway, the event was fun. It took five grown men and a boy over six hours to complete the project and it was interesting to say the least. I discovered that whenever a dad, anywhere, builds something, he is required to use an insane amount of swear words in order to make it work. It appears that some things are the same in every country.

So, our family has not completely moved into the yurt, but we do spend most of our time inside. We ran a couple of electrical cords into the yurt so we have a TV and even a light. We eat dinner there every night and my two host brothers sleep inside of it now. All part of livin’ the dream.