On the Transfer With Dwelling in Tow – Nomadic Life-style is Made Doable by Kazakh Yurt

ASTANA – For tons of of years, the nomadic rhythm of life was outlined by mobility and practicality even within the selection of dwelling. The Kazakh yurt, additionally known as kiyiz ui (felt residence), is a conveyable, weather-resistant, eco-friendly home that enabled conventional Kazakh herders to keep up a nomadic way of life that had them spending winters in pastures and summers within the mountains.

The historical past of the nomadic man is tightly entwined with the historical past of the yurt. It has sheltered Kazakh nomads for hundreds of years, retaining in heat in winter and sustaining coolness in the summertime. Kazakh kiyiz ui or boz ui in Kyrgyz, ak oy in Turkmen, ger in Mongolian has develop into a conventional nomadic residence of countries surrounding the areas in Central Asia.

Kiyiz ui grew to become an vital a part of Kazakh cultural heritage. In 2014, it was included within the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Group’s (UNESCO) Consultant Checklist of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Establishing a Kazakh yurt

Initially, yurts have been constructed from a felt cowl wrapped round an oval-shaped wood body primarily based on sliding lattice sections, known as kerege.

The wood body additionally included wood poles – uyk. Of their multiplicity, they fashioned the roof of the yurt. The dome of the yurt is known as shanyrak, which concurrently serves as a chimney and a window for the yurt.

The common yurt could possibly be as vast as seven to 9 meters in diameter. The biggest full-sided “khan’s yurt” might attain 16-18 meters in diameter.

Since historical instances, the set-up strategy of the yurt concerned the entire household. Males and boys made a wood body from wild willow. Whereas males have been busy with the body, girls made a protecting materials for the yurt from felts. This dense and powerful materials saved heat within the yurt within the winter and proved waterproof even on wet days. Ladies have been additionally engaged in inside ornament: they made carpets and sewed blankets.

“[They] Assembled the yurt by the entire world. Why so? As a result of Kazakhs believed that with every inserted uyk you carry a want of happiness to this home. For instance, if it’s a yurt for a younger couple [you would make a wish] that they’d have a number of offspring. Or, if it’s a lady’s yurt, you would need that the kazan (cauldron) wouldn’t get empty and would all the time be boiling with meat in it,” mentioned Batyrkhan Zhumabayev, the top of Sacred Kazakhstan analysis heart in his interview with the Mir tv and radio firm.

Shanyrak, the dome of the yurt, was a household heirloom, a logo of the continuation of the household. It was handed down from technology to technology. The Kazakh phrase “shanyrak yesi,” which means the proprietor of the shanyrak, refers to a married man, who has established his circle of relatives. 

One might discover the picture of the shanyrak on the nationwide emblem of Kazakhstan set on a blue background very a lot resembling the picture of the solar.

As such, the yurt stays a logo of household and conventional hospitality, elementary to the id of the Kazakh individuals.

It will take about an hour for a talented practitioner to arrange a yurt. 

The yurt inside

Yurt inside ornament concerned the entire neighborhood of craftspeople, who made rugs with colourful ornaments, pillows and blankets, wood furnishings, and dishes.

As soon as up, the yurt is furnished with home goods which might be positioned alongside the kerege.

Conventional Kazakh home goods had wealthy aesthetic worth, making a unified system of inside dwellings that represented nomadic tastes and tradition together with their utilitarian functions.

An individual coming into the yurt would see the world of Kazakh ornamentation predominantly on the weaving artwork. The ground is roofed with felt carpets known as tekemet, whereas syrmak adorned the partitions of the dwelling, skillfully adorned with nationwide patterns.

A fire took the central stage, round which the household gathered in winters. The beds have been positioned alongside the partitions: the house owners’ mattress was set to the correct of the fireplace and for single daughters and sisters, the mattress was positioned to the left.

Life with out angles in a yurt would positively impress trendy guests who’re into the feng shui philosophy. 

Trendy-day use of the Kazakh yurt

Within the trendy days, the yurt has not misplaced its sensible use however has tailored to trendy necessities. Yurts are broadly used throughout nationwide holidays and at massive occasions like weddings, festivals, and events all through Kazakhstan to showcase nationwide customs.

Yurts additionally appear to have skilled a renewed wave of recognition overseas because the world embraces eco-friendly housing. In the present day’s yurts are manufactured from wooden and are light-weight and versatile, they’ll accommodate more healthy heating choices and assist households save on gasoline prices and scale back emissions.

French luxurious model Louis Vuitton’s spectacular pop-up retailer constructed up the anticipation of holiday makers because it revealed the main points of its exterior.

Situated within the trendy resort of St. Moritz within the Swiss mountains, the pop-up retailer was made within the type of a yurt. The outside partitions and the uyk-roof was adorned with the model’s monogram symbols on white-colored partitions with contrasting brown components.

These can go to via April 10 to expertise a contemporary adaptation of an historical dwelling utilized by many generations of proud nomads that got here earlier than them.