WEAT -Workshop for ethno-Architecture Techniques

HOW TO MAKE A YURT

Photo: Tartsák András, Budapest, ELTE

Well, actually if You look at the picture above, You see a picture of an original mongolian YURT. This is the all-year home of a nomadic family. They need to be mobile, because they have to change place from time to time to secure enough grazing grounds for their cattle. So a yurt can be easily dismantled and built up in a relatively short time, is easy to transport (usually on camelback), as it not too heavy.

During our project we constructed a little yurt (3m diameter, 2m height), which is similar to the original ones, altough not in all details.
In Mongolia yurts are made by special craftsmen, and considerable skill, equipment and knowledge is needed for construction. That´s the reason why not all details of our yurt are like the original. Usually mongolian yurts are a bit larger (4-6-7m) in diameter also.

So how do I make a yurt?
- Well, actually you may need lots of motivation and determination, as for us it proved to be much more work, as we expected. Secondly some good friends are needed, to lend a helping hand, as most tasks are easier to perform in groups. Some knowledge of basic handling of wood is also quite helpful... :-) - see the construction process in detail below!

We would like to thank Tartsák András, from ELTE Budapest, who submitted us some really good photos from his travels in Mongolia, and some literature. We have to thank Balázs László as well, who himself is involved in building Kirgiz yurts, and who gave same valuable advice on techniques applied.

Click on the images to see them enlarged !
Collecting Material for the "rafters" of the yurt - these are the wooden members of the construction, which are supporting the roof-ring. We used hazelnut and wild cherry wood for construction. Hazelnut is tough and grows quite even.	Our yurt has 36 "rafters" - that means 36 times 1.6m of wood with an approximate dimension of 2.5 x 5 cm. Quite a "heap" :-) of sticks...	Working on the carvers´s bench - after finishing 10 rafters your arms get tired, after 20 you get sore muscles the next day. :-)
The rafters before the bark is removed and they are shaped.	Well, little sister is a talented yurt-maker also. :-)	Sooner or later, you will invite some friends, because during a real good party work goes on much faster - and its much fun of course... :-)
The wall of the yurt is made of lattice, the wooden parts are joined with leather strips.	Assembling the "wall".	Next step is the "roof-ring". This is a ring made of wood; it is the highest part of the yurt´s roof and has wholes for the rafters..We cut the parts and glued them together, in Mongolia they have the same technique, but in other parts of Asia they bend it by damping and boiling wood over fire.
The door and the walls assembled, the roof-ring fixed during glueing.	Roof ring "transport"...	Still no holes for the rafters...
The holes being drilled and afterwards burned to widen them up...	Well, 36 six holes last.....
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire...	Gernot carves the last rafters. Below a pictures of the dismantled yurt.	The rafters are tested, whether they fit into the holes (above). Afterwards the roof-ring is put up, first with 4 rafters.
		Special Thanks to: Emese Orsolya Kinga Raphaela András Bálint Gernot Herbert Martin for participating
The rafters are tied to the "horns" -the V-shaped ends of the lattice sticks.	And, finally, the yurt is standing...
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