When we were traveling from Ölgii (Mongolian Өлгий, Kazakh Өлгей) [1] to Achit Nuur (Ачит нуур) [2], something strange happened to us. The Bayan-Ölgii Province (Mongolian: Баян-Өлгий, Kazakh: Бай-Өлке) [3] has a special feature in Mongolia because it is the home of the Kazakh ethnic group. The Kazakhs have their own culture, which is different from that of Mongolia, but still has similarities because they are also nomads. They live in extended families and still practice many of their ancient traditions. With around 101,000 people (approx. 5% of Mongolia's population), the Kazakhs are the second largest ethnic group in Mongolia after the Chalkhs. Most live in Bayan-Ölgii Aimag, where they make up 90% of the population.
So we drove off-piste in the Bayan-Ölgii Aimag and saw some yurts - now the word yurt is correct - because the Kazakhs have yurts that are a little different from the Mongols' gers. We arrived at the yurts and somehow made ourselves understood that we would like to visit the yurt. Two friendly ladies invited us into the yurt; we were a very small group. The first strange thing was that there was a festive setting and we hadn't registered, there is no infrastructure for that. And a second thing was strange: neither our Mongolian interpreter nor the drivers or cooks spoke Kazakh. And the two Kazakh women didn't speak Mongolian. We could only communicate with our hands and feet. Apparently they were expecting other guests. Yes, but then we drank some tea and left a few toys for the children. We were also able to take a look at the yurt in peace. I had already reported on the Mongolian Ger [4].
Let's remember special features of the Mongolian ger: The ger usually has interior posts supporting the crown to support the roof. The round form is structured by a latticework of wood to which poles for the roof are attached, ending at the crown. The outside is covered with felt and maybe the roof is covered with canvas. There's also a doorframe and a door, which traditionally points to the south [5]. The north has the family shrine, the west is for males/husband and east for females/wife. In the middle there is a stove, as in the tourist version as even early or late during the season it might get cold. Most people use wood for heating today.
The Kazakh word for yurt is Kiis üi (киіз үй), which means felt house [6]. But I will continue to say yurt. The yurt can be easily transported and set up. The three essential components are: kerege (кереге), uyk (уық) and shanyrak (шаңырақ); so, then you are enlightened about this [7]. But I want to elaborate a little more. Kerege is the name given to the foldable scissor grid made of wood, which is placed in a circle and serves as the foundation of the yurt. Uyk is the name given to the long wooden poles that are attached to the kerege to support it and keep the yurt in a circular shape. Unlike the rods in the Mongolian ger, the uyk are curved at one end. The shanyrak is a dome-shaped wooden frame that sits on top of the yurt and is connected to the uyk. In the middle the shanyrak has a circular opening through which the smoke from the oven, formerly the fire, can escape. The felt is then placed around the outside and secured with strings. This is supposed to keep out the cold and wet. In winter the temperature can drop to -40°C and the ovens are made of sheet iron. These ovens have to be like this to be transportable, but they radiate their heat immediately. This means it quickly gets very hot in the yurt when the stove is fired, but it gets cold again just as quickly. At the end of this section I come to the door (есік), which is the first to be built because the kerege is aligned with it. The door traditionally faces east; we remember, the door of the Mongolian ger faces south. The interior of the Kazakh yurt is divided as follows: the place of honor is opposite the door, i.e. furthest from the door, the owner's place is to the left of the place of honor, a little closer to the door, then comes the kitchen part, even closer to the door, on the right there is space for the younger family members and then comes the storage area for the horse equipment, also in the right half of the yurt. There is also the entrance area, directly behind the door and in the middle of the yurt is the fireplace or oven.
The interior design is different, more colorful, but without the pictures or, for example, a Buddha statue like in the Mongolian Ger. Patterns and colors predominate; I assume that this can be attributed to the Islamic ban on images. I didn't find much about the interior of the yurt, the furnishings and customs. I'll show some pictures for this.
Links and Annotations:
[1] Ölgii (Mongolian Өлгий, Kazakh Өлгей) is the main town of the Bajan-Ölgii-Aimag in the extreme West of Mongolia. It lies at an altitude of 1710 m. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96lgii_(city) I already mentioned Ölgii: Mongolia - The Main Mosque of Ölgii https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2023/08/mongolia-main-mosque-of-olgii.html
[2] I have also already mentioned Achit Nuur: The Boss of Achit Nuur https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-boss-of-achit-nuur.html
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayan-%C3%96lgii_Province
[4] Mongolia - Staying in the Ger https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2022/10/mongolia-staying-in-ger.html and Mongolia - Nomads in the Orkhon Valley https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2022/11/mongolia-nomads-in-orkhon-valley.html
[5] https://www.theyurtproject.nl/en/is-het-een-ger-or-yurt/
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurt
[7] https://welcome.kz/en/kazakhstan/yurta and https://central-asia.guide/kazakhstan/kazakh-culture/kazakh-yurt/ as well as very detailed information about the yurt and the meaning of the individual elements , which can be found in proverbs: Zhakupova A., Suiyerkul B., Tashimbay S., Berkimbayeva S., Kazakh yurt as a unique creation of nomadic civilization architecture. Innovation 2022; 10 (1): 1-13, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/2346075X.2961.
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