How nomads put together a ger (or yurt)

For generations, the nomadic people of Mongolia have traveled with the seasons and the needs of their livestock. Their homes, circular structures called gers (pronounced gairs), are easy to assemble and disassemble with help from the entire family.

See how a ger is made in grassy fields near northern Mongolia’s Lake Hovsgol, not far from the Russian border. From the World Wildlife Fund:

“This robust, warm home can be constructed in under three hours—with a finishing touch of Mongolian motifs painted on—ready to be furnished as a bedroom, living room, and kitchen for up to 15 people, depending on the yurt’s size. Once the time comes for the family to move, the ger can be dismantled into flat packs within an hour or so and carried away to be rebuilt on another site. Where home is next set up depends on the grass, wind, and water.”

“In the Gobi Desert—one of the harshest climates in the world, where temperatures can range between 113°F and -40°F—the ger serves as a highly functional shelter which can keep its residents warm during frigid winters and cool under the scorching summer sun, while also allowing strong spring winds to flow around it. Through generations of passed-down wisdom about their natural environment, the herders have learned to tell when, where, and how quickly to move their home and animals through such drastic seasonal changes.”

Watch this next: Nomadic Nenet people build a chum (yurt) in the Siberian Arctic Winter.

via BoingBoing.