Nomadic habitat
In Mongolia, we do not speak of yurt but of ger. The assembly of the ger always follows the same steps. First, the floor is installed, then the furniture, always starting with the stove or central fireplace that must remain lit constantly. The second step is to install the concave lattices of willow wood slats that serve as "walls", unrolling them like an accordion. Two poles, the bagan, are then placed on each side of the fireplace in order to interweave the central crown called toono. Finally, larch wood poles are added to the toono and the lattice walls, which are interlocked like umbrella ribs. This amazing self-supporting structure is then covered with several layers of felt, followed by a white fabric. The final phase consists in surrounding the perimeter of the yurt with 3 rows of belts made of horsehair ropes, and adjusting the opening for the evacuation of the smoke. The ger thus finished measures on average between 18 and 20m2
and weighs 2 tons.... and yet it takes no more than 2 hours to assemble it! Its structure and its weight allow it to resist to wind assaults without needing to be fixed by stakes... an operation made impossible anyway when the ground is frozen. Once folded, the ger is transported by cart or truck.The ger is a universe in itself and everything is governed by immutable rules. The orientation is essential. The door always faces south. The threshold is a highly symbolic space that must be respected... beware of those who would hit it because it would bring misfortune on the whole family. Inside, the south is the space of the youth, while the north is the domain of the elders, as well as that of the sacred objects and offerings (the khoïmoor is the most sacred space). The west is reserved for men and social life, while the east is reserved for women and everyday objects. The honorary place reserved for guests is located in the northwest. The bagan are the link between the sky (toono) and the earth (sol). Like a sundial, the ger is divided into 12 parts, each of which is symbolically linked to one of the animals of the astrological cycle. The movements in the yurt are then done in the direction of the sun. The nomads are also able to determine the time of day according to the sun's grapes sliding on the different parts of the ger. This last one is also the object of a great decorative attention. Chiseled, engraved, applied, sewn or carved on the palisades, doors, fabrics and objects, the decorative patterns illustrate well the position of Mongolia at the crossroads of cultures. Scrolls, spirals, interlacing, swastika, geometric figures or animal representations are an amazing mixture of local, Chinese, Persian, Indian or Tibetan cultures. The decorative motif on the threshold is not random and literally means "May happiness never desert this yurt, and may misfortune never enter it", while the wave motifs symbolize the ocean that threatens to swallow up anyone who enters it with malicious intent. The circle is one of the key motifs in Mongolian culture. Symbolizing the infinite, its presence brings magical protection. Among the other motifs often used are: the ölzii or happiness knot; the khas tamga or swastika, symbol of the sun and cosmic forces; the galii khee
or three tongues of fire motif illustrating the continuity of time; and finally the horn of plenty. As far as colors are concerned, orange (sun) and blue (azure) are very often used. In parallel to these yurts or ger, the nomads also use tents of simpler structure and construction. The Maikhan tent is made of 3 poles, 2 placed vertically and 1 placed horizontally on the other 2; the structure thus obtained is then covered with a fabric canvas fixed to the ground by wooden stakes. The Tsatsar tent resembles a sort of teepee or conical hut whose vertical supports are made of larch wood and the fabric covering. The Tsachir tent is distinguished by its rectangular plan.Going back in time
The burial sites of the elites of the Xiongnu, the first empire founded by the Mongols, bear witness to rites that were already extremely refined. These tombs generally consisted of a rectangular stone terrace placed above the pit, while a passage was built to the south of the structure. The pits could reach up to 20 m in depth. The interior was built into vaulted structures made from logs that were then covered with decorated mats. The Xiongnu first lived in round tents or yurts, before establishing authentic cities protected by surrounding walls and whose central element was the Small Palace. The buildings were then mainly made of logs. The archaeological site of Khuduu Aral is another fascinating witness of this urbanistic evolution. The ruins of the city of Avarga reveal a very hierarchical spatial organization. Parts of the semicircular earthen wall protecting it are still visible, while some witnesses of the original layout of the streets then lined with palaces, temples, but also forges, tanks and workshops, all these buildings being arranged according to their degree of importance.
Whatever the period, the urban settlements share common characteristics, in particular the defensive architecture. The remains of the city of Kara Balgasun, founded in the early 8th century, include part of the 12-meter high fortress and its watchtower; while remains of the 4-meter thick mud wall surrounding the city of Bars-Hot, founded between the 10th and 12th centuries, are still visible. The remains of the famous Karakorum, the capital of the Mongolian Empire, show how urban planning was designed to underline the power of the Great Khan. His palace, the Tumen Amugulang Palace, was at the heart of the city. Although the throne and the silver fountain have disappeared, you can still observe its ingenious heating system consisting of smoke pipes installed under the floors! Among the great cities built between the 13th and 14th centuries, don't miss Kondui and its incredible palatial complex built on a platform surrounded by two-level terraces with pavilions and pools. This palace is the symbol of the emergence of a noble class willing to build palaces to rival those of the Khan. Generally speaking, most of the cities of the Mongol Empire, in particular Ulaanbaatar, developed in a concentric way, inspired by the organization of nomadic military camps. The yurts were placed in a circle around the chiefs' yurts according to the "ring" principle. The circle arrangement was the most effective in case of an enemy attack. Thus, before being called Ulaanbaatar, the capital was called Ikh Khuree, "the Great Circle". From a simple "inhabited circle", it has developed into a large urban center but still has vast circular spaces, such as the Züün Khuree (the Eastern Circle) where the "Golden Palace" was enthroned, and the Baruun Khuree (the Western Circle) where part of the former great Gandan Monastery remains. On a larger scale, the city respects the same spatial organization as the yurt, temples and monasteries being oriented to the south, and the Government Palace being installed in the north, the most honorary part.Religious architecture
If the Mongolian nomads have always opted for a temporary habitat, they have nevertheless, very early on, sought a form of permanence in the funeral architecture. The steles lining the plains are witnesses to this. The oldest, dating from the Bronze Age, are the "deer stones". These are blocks of granite 3 m high, always facing east, and engraved with stylized deer silhouettes. Later, they also imagined the "Babas", or stone warriors. The Kurgan are funeral mounds, easily recognizable by the stone circles that surround them, marking the border between the world of the living and that of the dead.
Mongolia was then transformed under the impulse of Buddhism. The first monasteries were, at the beginning, only temples-yurts of wood and felt. At that time, the term khuree
(circle) was also used to designate these monastic complexes in which the buildings were built around the main temple, the monks' yurts surrounding the whole temple on three sides, the south being reserved for the main entrance of the complex. But the increase in the number of worshippers required the expansion of these structures. To do this, the number of columns was first increased. As the temples were enlarged, they became imposing polygonal structures that were more and more difficult to assemble and disassemble. To make these steps easier, square or rectangular plans were chosen. Then, the felt temples were transformed into brick and stone temples. At the crossroads of cultures and empires, Mongolia will then develop a fascinating religious architecture, drawing on the sources of Chinese, Tibetan and Indian traditions. From the Chinese tradition, it will borrow the principle of brick or stone platforms; the shape of the curved roof called "tail of the crow" covered with glazed tiles, often colored, and decorated with sculptures of mythical animals protectors; or the importance of the central axis hierarchical spaces. From the Tibetan tradition, it borrows the location of the temples, most often built on high and sunny sites; the non-load-bearing walls known as "fruit walls" (whose thickness progressively decreases to become very thin at the top) and often painted white; the presence of an assembly hall; the centered plan of certain temples; and above all the ornamental richness of the porches, pillars, entablatures and ceilings. From the Indian tradition, it borrows the structural and ornamental richness of the stupas, these relic buildings erected on platforms, most often painted white, and whose shape is reminiscent of a bell. But Mongolian religious architecture will also add its own mark by privileging large openings and spaced courtyards offering a less compact and closed aspect than some Chinese or Tibetan temples; and by adding decorative motifs typical of the nomadic culture. Among the monasteries and temples not to be missed are the monastery of Amarbayasgalant with its perfectly hierarchical spatial organization according to a North-South axis and its amazing Tsogchin temple (main temple) with its 108 pillars and its ingenious system of evacuation of rainwater through the interior of 4 columns and then under the ground through the grooves of the stone; theBaldan Bereeven monastery built according to the shamanic, geomantic and Buddhist practices coming from China and Tibet; the Dachchoilin monastery with its temple in the shape of a wooden yurt with a dome-shaped roof and built on a stone platform; the Erdene Zuu monastery and its 108 stupas; or theGandan monastery, in the heart of Ulaanbaatar, with its main temple with a capital structure supported by 108 columnsModern and contemporary period
The great revolutionary movement of the beginning of the 20th century leads to an unprecedented policy of repression/destruction of Buddhism. Most of the 750 monasteries of the country were razed (only the most famous ones were preserved to dedicate them to profane activities), while everywhere Soviet architecture progressed. Stalinist classicism was used in abundance, especially in Ulaanbaatar. The Opera House, with its red and white facade, all in symmetry, friezes and colonnades; the University with its porticoed courtyard with stylized columns and capitals; or the National Theatre with its salmon pink facade, its porch with pediments and its colonnades, are the great representatives of this classicism in the Soviet style. Some buildings were later to become representatives of Soviet brutalism, such as the building of the Committee of Radio and Postal Communications with its amazing pyramidal tower. The 1960s mark the final alignment of Mongolia to the USSR and are accompanied by an unprecedented concrete. Everywhere in the suburbs, bars of concrete buildings are erected, while new cities entirely composed of concrete towers are born. In the 1970s, some projects tried to create a link between this Soviet architecture and local traditions, such as the Ethnographic Museum in Ulaanbaatar, which looked like a Mongolian palace, but these attempts were rare and Soviet palaces with modern and monotonous lines, such as the Palace of Culture, continued to be built.
From the 1990's, the country is westernized with a lot of towers and buildings. The rectangular glass mass of the Chinggis Khan Hotel; the Bodhi Tower composed of a classic 4-storey building and a tall tower; the Narantuul Tower; and more recently the Blue Sky Tower which dominates the capital from the top of its 105 m of glass and steel with bluish reflections, are among the most famous. Although they have moved closer to urban centers, the nomads still live in yurts. Unfortunately, the government does nothing to allow them to settle down in a healthy and permanent way and this generates the creation of real slums often badly, if not not not connected to the various urban networks, and made of tangles of dirt streets lined with wooden fences behind which are hidden yurts and low constructions made of sheet metal and cement. At the same time, the old Soviet concrete suburbs suffer from a dangerous dilapidation. Rehabilitation plans are under study, but in the face of ultraliberalism and the pressure of mining complexes that appropriate the land everywhere, forcing nomadic populations to come and swell the shantytowns and peripheral suburbs, the situation hardly seems to be improving. However, in the face of the climatic challenges that threaten us, we should take example on the way of living of the nomads who never impose themselves on their environment..
