Video: Nondescript on the outside - stunning on the inside: magnificent yurts of nomadic peoples
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The nomadic peoples of the Near East and Central Asia have settled in yurts since ancient times. Portable dwellings that could be assembled and disassembled were the best fit for their lifestyle. For the inhabitants of the steppe, yurts became not just a home, they acquired a sacred meaning. And the decoration of portable houses is a clear example of the folk applied art of the nomads.
The very word "yurt" in translation from Turkish means "people". In Kyrgyz etymology, "ata-zhurt" can literally be translated as "father's house". Among other nomadic Asian peoples, this word means about the same.
Many people wonder why the shape of the yurt is always round. Scientists are trying to find the answer in the beliefs of nomadic people. The circle has a sacred meaning, and the construction of a yurt personifies the model of the creation of the world among ancient peoples: the carpet on the floor is grass on the ground, the dome symbolizes the sky, the shanyrak (a wooden rim with a convex lattice inside, located in the center of the dome) is the sun, and the sliding walls (kerege) are the cardinal points.
But if we turn to a practical point of view, then the choice of the round shape of the yurt is determined by the place where it is installed. Winds always blow in the steppe, and a dwelling of such a streamlined shape can withstand any hurricane.
Curiously, setting up a yurt is a woman's job. Men only took part in lifting the heavy rim. For experienced housewives, the construction of a dwelling took about a month, and it could stand for more than a dozen years.
If the outside yurts of different peoples are very similar to each other, then by the internal interior and decoration one could immediately determine to which people the dwelling belonged.
The interior decor of yurts consisted of velvet or silk cover (for wealthy families), the walls and floor were covered with felt carpets. In addition to the practical purpose (insulation of the house), carpets with intricate ornaments turned the yurt into a kind of motley carpet gallery.
Internal structure of the Kazakh yurt 1. Shanyrak 2. Dome poles 3. Woven tapes for bonding the skeleton 4. Lattice frame of the yurt 5. Chest 6. Covering the walls of the yurt from felt 7. woven carpet 8. Felt carpet 9. Felt carpet 10. Home 11. Wooden bed 12. Wall carpet 13. Door 14. Felt cloth covering the shanyrak 15. Felt cover strips 16. Felt cover of the dome
For the Kyrgyz, a smaller yurt was installed next to the main dwelling. Food supplies were stored there. If wealthy men had two or three wives, then each of them had a separate yurt. Temporary dwellings were set up for guests.
Starting from the 19th century, nomadic peoples began to move to a sedentary lifestyle. Today, yurts can be seen in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Altai. They are used by pastoralists. In Mongolia, yurts are used as summer cottages, because the microclimate inside them is much more comfortable than in brick houses. In addition, hotels and restaurants began to be placed in yurts. Tourists are happy to settle in yurts to feel the flavor of nomadic life.
The peoples of Central Asia do not forget about their traditions and origins. It is for this purpose that Kyrgyzstan arranges World Nomad Games. These competitions are distinguished by their originality and uniqueness.
Recommended:
9 inconsistencies between the series "The Magnificent Century" and the real story of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska and Suleiman the Magnificent
The success of The Magnificent Century, released in 2011, was phenomenal. It was watched by millions of viewers all over the world, and it was this project that played a major role in the popularization of Turkish TV series. In Turkey, the creators were accused of inauthenticity, and this despite the fact that each episode aired after approval by consultant historians. Viewers sent about 70 thousand complaints to the Supreme Council of Turkish Radio and Television with accusations of distortion of facts
How life was "outside the Moscow ring road" of Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire: Rules of life of the ancient province
The Byzantine Empire is often associated with wars, conquests and various kinds of intrigues surrounding the dweller of the throne. But what was it like to live there for an ordinary person, especially when outside Constantinople, when practically every step was signed by the adoption of various laws, which had to be obeyed unconditionally?
When the beer is not inside, but outside. Beer art by Karen Eland
Those who doubt the nobility of such a drink as beer should pay attention to the work of the American artist Karen Eland. You can really trust her taste: readers of Cultural Studies will probably remember the coffee paintings with which she debuted on our website, and today we will talk about paintings painted exclusively with alcohol. If tea and even wine are successfully used instead of dyes, why not take a chance and do the same with beer?
Center Pompidou Mobile - a nomadic version of the Pompidou Center
In the second half of the 19th century, there was a movement of Itinerant artists in Russia, carrying their work to the common people, exhibiting their paintings in makeshift pavilions in the cities and villages of the country. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Paris Center Pompidou did the same. The institution recently created a nomadic version of its exhibit - Center Pompidou Mobile
How gypsy collective farms were created in the USSR, and was the Soviet government able to force nomadic people to work
Since ancient times, Gypsies have led a nomadic lifestyle, so they did not need any subsidiary farming, or a house for living, or land plots. However, under the Soviet regime, they had to say goodbye to traditions - in the USSR, vagrancy and the lack of permanent work were not welcomed. In order to get rid of people without a place of residence inside a socialist country, it was decided to make them sedentary residents, providing free housing and introducing them to collective farm labor