|
Mongolian Yurts or Gers.
Whilst the Yurt (Ger) is clearly a ancient structure, due to the lack of written records left by the nomadic peoples who use them them, it is hard to place its origins in history. Herodotus (c484-c425 BC) writes of ger-carts and felt tents being used by the Scythian people. But other evidence of the use of the structure before the time of Genghis Khan (1162- 1227 AD) is hard to find. The earliest complete yurt discovered was found in a 12th century grave in the Khentai Mountains of Northern Mongolia, the fact that its construction is very similar to that of modern versions Gers used today suggests that its origins are ancient indeed.
It is posited that the origins of the structure are prehistoric, that it evolved from a tipi like structure, first with the addition of simple walls in the manner of the Chorama-Dyu used by some of the Evenk tribes or the Yarangas of the Koryak of Eastern Siberia. With the invention of the collapsible lattice wall it suggested that the structure took on a tall bottle like profile, over time the structure has morphed, there are illustrations of sieges during the crusades that feature yurts which have significantly taller and more rounded shape than the now familiar profile of the the Kirgiz style bentwood yurt we know today. The modern Mongolian ger features a significantly heavier crown with internal uprights that support it, in to which which socket numerous straight roof ribs, that attach to the wall lattice and a still in popular use throughout the region. An interesting relative of the yurt is the Alachigh of the Shah Savan, which is essentially an evolved yurt roof that has dispensed with the lattice walls altogether,it can encompass as large an area as a yurt with use of less wood making it easier to transport.
Whilst Mongolia is the stronghold of the yurt where the ger is still home to a large proportion of the population. The structure was used throughout Central Asia from Eastern Turkey in the west through Iran, Iraq, Northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, parts of Northeastern China and Eastern Siberia. It may be said that its home range is spreading still with its ever increasing popularity across Europe and the United states.
|
