Kyrgyzstan

This a visit to a workshop where the wooden frames for traditional Kyrgyz yurts are handmade by a family that has been doing this for generations. Starting from pieces if Willow, they are cut, steamed, and bent to shape and finished by shaping and painting.. The top piece is the circle in the 4th pic. This design is purely Kyrgyz. The last two pics show how the yurt is put up. The sides are a collapsible lattice, placed in sections and tied together. The roof is supported by the long posts fitted into holes in the top ring and tied to the walls. The holes in the top ring are burned in by a square iron, and the poles have square shaped ends so that the construction is more stable. The yurt is then covered with felt.Read more