Mongolia-Traditional Craftsmanship of the Mongolian Ger and Associated Customs

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Script
Human beings have created a variety of shelter during their histories and development stages, while incorporating their lifestyles and traditional culture, be it settled or nomadic.
Mongols, while practicing pastoral nomadism for millennia across Asia, have created their exquisite shelter called “ger” - the foundation of their nomadic lifestyle and culture.
Creating and developing the system for traditional craftsmanship of Mongol ger have ensured the sutainable existance of nomadic culture up to date in the modern world.
The Mongolian ger create as micro thermally-efficient space with effective lighting and air-conditioning.
The dome-shaped round ger stands on the ground surface with few leg-points of its wall-sections, aerodynamic shape resilient to strong winds, durable, easy and quick to be assembled and dissembled, light and portable to move and transport elsewhere.
The ger is comfortable dwelling shelter which is environmentally-friendly, healthy and made of renewable natural materials, such as wood, wool and cotton. The ger has the least environmental footprints and the waste from using ger is non-biodegradable and neutralized easily to the nature easily to ensure perfect harmony with the nature. With these values, the ger is a unique eco-shelter compared to other shelters.
The Mongolian ger is called “toonot ger” (roof-topped ger), “khanat ger” (walled ger), “felt ger” or “felt-walled ger” with emphasizing the particular components involved. Moreover, the Mongolianger has various types with a wide range of different designs. The ger is spread across Central Asia, as well as in some Middle Eastern countries, yet the basic structure and designs are kept intact to indicate the endless “flexibility of the Mongolian ger” clearly.
Mongolian people consider the Mongolian ger is designed based on the universe model and thus incorporate a variety of symbolic meanings representing astrology, astronomy, time and directions, and matter-elements.
Ger canvas can be made with different designs, from simple to heavily-decorated with colors and patterns.
Among them, this documentary film will introduce the traditional craftsmanship of a common type of the Mongolian ger widely used nowadays in Mongolia, a so-called standard ger with simple designs, khorol toono (rooftop with wheel-shape), columned roof-poles, along with related customs and symbolic meanings.
Traditional craftsmanship of the Mongolian ger
Depending on needs, gers may have different sizes and used for many different purposes. The size of the ger is defined by how many wall sections are used in the particular ger. For example, a ger may have 3-20 wall sections and one wall section normally has 12-16 head-crosses..
Mongol ger consists of wooden structure, canvas and ropes, with interior furnishings and the hearth in the center of the ger inside.
The wooden structure consists of rooftop, poles, walls, center posts and a door.
Craftsmanship of wooden structure
Walls and poles are made from dried trees in winter.
Before timbering, craftsmen should select suitable trees and then make offerings of best food to the sky and nature, as traditional rituals. Then they cut the trees selected for walls and poles.
After cutting trees, the craftsmen prepare logs suitable for walls and poles, with right length and width.
First the craftsman will make logs from trees with desired lengths and insert the axe in the log to divide in parts to make wall and pole sticks. Then, with replacing the axe, wooden pegs are used to further divide the log at the top and side of the log. Next, they again divide the split log in to more sticks.
In this way, they make thin poles with the right size to craft wall or roof poles.
Walls are designed to carry the rooftop, poles and canvas, while separating the inside and outside of the ger.
Walls have different designs, but the grid-type walls are used commonly.
The structure of grid-type walls is one unique architectural masterpiece of the Mongolian ger to allow wall sections expand, squeeze and assemble easily, as conveniently suited to the nomadic lifestyle.
Grid-walls are made of willow or elm trees, but lately from larch mostly.
To make wall and roof poles, a “shelf-post” (bosoo gatsaa, or “tulaas-der”) is used commonly. When the apprentice holds other end of the stick for a wall stick or roof pole, the craftsman narrows the head of the wall stick put on the shelf-post. He uses a sharp curvy-blade called “tatuurga” to shape the head of the wall. After shaping the head, then he shapes rest of the wall stick (usually called “body”). Finally, the wall stick is polished and smoothened with a plane to get ready for gridding.
Wall ends at the top have a lace each made of weaved camel hair.

[@Santu7220]

ikh bayarlaa

[@mrbisse1]

Wonderful!!!!! Thank you!

[@rossjohnson4992]

What a wonderful video about yurt

[@MeineJurte]

Wonderful, it's always great to see videos about yurts, yurt building and yurt living :)
We also plan and manufacture mobile yurts of very quality, suitable for winter.
Greetings from Austria :)

[@MrHenden]

Hey, very nice video. Is it possible to use 20 seconds from this video in an another video for children about how to build a mongolian yurt? This is a non-commercial film that will be shown in children's associations and kindergartens in Norway. The audio will not be used. Please respond as soon as possible. :) Regards, Torgeir

[@lkhamaamunkh4862]

Hello this video I just watched. I am Mongolia. We will be very grateful for the proper introduction of the culture of Mongolians through this video. I think it is possible. Even though it was too late but you can use it later.:))