The Complete Yurt Handbook

Pronunciation of Mongolian words 6(1) Introduction 7(3) PART ONE: THE YURT When, where and why? 10(4) History 10(2) Geography 12(1) The virtues of yurts 12(2) Structure 14(7) How the yurt works 15(1) The frame 16(1) The wall khana 16(1) Khana poles khar mod 17(1) Hole spacing 18(1) The roof poles uni 19(1) The crown tono 20(1) The cover 20(1) Life in the Mongolian ger 21(12) Climate 21(1) Livestock 22(1) Felt making 22(1) Food and drink 23(1) Recipes 24(2) Symbolism and cosmology 26(1) Setting up home 27(1) Etiquette 27(1) Do's and don'ts in the ger 28(1) The call of nature 28(1) Nomadism 28(1) Layout of ger interior 29(3) Religion 32(1) The Mongolian ger 33(13) The ger 34(1) General description 34(1) Khana 35(1) Udeer 36(1) Uni 37(1) Tono 37(2) Chagata 39(1) Bagana 40(1) Nars 41(1) Khaalga 41(1) Twrga 42(1) Ger uhn boorees 43(1) Busluur and securing ropes 43(1) Heating 44(1) Floor 45(1) Other yurt types 46(6) The bentwood yurt: oba, oy or aq 46(1) Two-tiered yurt: hane, hirga 47(1) Modern yurts 47(5) PART TWO: YURT CONSTRUCTION Build your own yurt 52(4) What type of yurt to build? 52(2) How long will it take? 54(1) Necessary skills 54(1) Essential tools 54(1) Materials 55(1) Frame construction 56(8) Basic techniques 56(1) How much wood will it take? 56(1) Preparing the wood 56(1) Roundwood 57(1) Sawn timber 57(1) Drilling wall poles 58(2) Drilling roof poles 60(1) Joining khana rods 60(1) The door 61(1) Steam bending 62(2) Building a Mongolian ger 64(12) The wall 64(1) Bending the wall poles 65(1) The door frame nars 66(1) The crown tono 66(1) Crown mortises 67(1) The raised crown centre 68(1) Roof poles uni 69(2) Roof pole securing loops sagaldarga 71(1) Bagana 71(1) Assembling the frame 72(3) Timber floor 75(1) The cover 76(10) Tools 76(1) Materials 76(1) Basic technique 77(1) Joining canvas 77(1) Selvedge to selvedge 77(1) Selvedge to cut edge 78(1) Cut edge to cut edge 78(1) Making the cover 78(1) The roof 78(1) Overlapping sheet method 79(1) The wall 80(2) The crown cover orkh 82(1) The tension band 83(1) Canvas door 83(1) Windows 83(1) Insulation 83(1) Extreme weatherproofing 84(1) Fire 85(1) Worked examples 86(8) Ten foot ger 86(2) Twelve foot ger 88(1) Sixteen foot ger 89(1) Cover designs for specific yurts 90(1) Ten foot ger 91(1) Twelve foot ger 92(1) Sixteen foot ger 93(1) The bentwood yurt 94(10) The door 94(1) The roof poles 94(1) The fixture 95(1) Bending without a strap 95(1) Bending with a strap 96(1) The walls 97(1) The crown 97(2) Raised centre 99(1) Assembling the frame 99(1) Bentwood yurt covers 100(1) Wall, tension band, orkh, door 100(1) Roof 100(1) Bentwood yurts: (worked examples) 101(1) Ten foot yurt 101(1) Twelve foot yurt 102(1) Sixteen foot yurt 103(1) The weekend yurt 104(13) The weekend ger 104(1) Materials 105(1) Tools 105(1) Preparing the wood 106(1) The walls khana 106(1) The crown tono 107(2) The roof 109(1) The door 110(1) Assembling the frame 110(1) The cover twrga 111(1) The wall 111(1) The tension band 111(1) The roof cover 111(2) Fitting the cover 113(1) The crown cover orkh 114(1) The door 114(1) Fitting the cover 115(1) Sources of materials 116(1) Glossary 117(1) Bibliography 118(2) Yurt Makers 120