Trevor Dumais
Mr. Holm
Global Studies
3-12-02
Yurt
We were assigned to write a three-page paper about a typical type of Asian architecture. After perusing the choices most of which were funny looking pagoda like structures, I settled with the Yurt. The Yurt is the most arch-typical example of dead cow architecture.
The design of the yurt evolved over thousands of years. The design included the inherent limitations of dead cows, the lack of trees in the god-forsaken place where the people lived, and a complete absence of hardware stores. Yurts have a conical, almost cathedral ceiling with dead animal skins on them, which would come in handy if they had Christmas trees in their Pagan culture.
Yurts hold up good against harsh weather, like snow, rain and other natural elements. You can even cook inside Yurts, but of course from my research I discovered that this produces increased carbon monoxide, which tends to kill human brain cells, and explains why the Yurt design hasn't changed for thousands of years.
In the past the Mongolians have tried a few different building materials other then dead cows, some of which include Yak dung, and camel droppings. After the unfortunate incident with the camel dung bamboo huts, they decided to keep their original design. There are hundreds of web sites that contain the finer points of Yurt construction, and other interesting topics such as; how to keep your Yurts vermin from multiplying, and why Yurts are better than igloo's.
Different cultures in different places take the materials that are available to them and they make use of it as best they can. In the American west they built log cabins, in the Arctic they built igloos, and in Mongolia they build stick huts wrapped in dead cows. These are clear examples of how different cultures adapt to their particular surroundings, and make use of the materials that are readily available. The Yurt can be a reflection of the unique culture that flourishes in one of the world's harshest environments.
Attila the Hun and Genghis Kahn both loved Yurts, especially while their armies were slaughtering, and enslaving millions of people across Eastern Asia. The Yurt was used as a quick lightweight and portable housing that was more than suitable for the Mongolian Huns. They didn't even mind the smell that the dead rotting animals on the roof made. And let me tell you, the starving, half-dead slaves considered the Yurt to be a palace compared to the dirt and mud holes they were privileged to sleep in. On another note, the people of Bangladesh did not like the Yurt, because their country floods yearly, and they could not find a way to make the things float.
Today Yurts are still commonly used by farmers, ditch diggers, slaves, and even average Mongolian peasants. Eco-terrorists like Yurts too, because they are made out of all natural materials, and did I mention that it's fine to cook inside them? Anyway Yurts started as stick huts covered with dead animal skins, and today they are still stick huts covered with dead animal skins, and can be found the world over.
The End
