yurt

Etymology

Borrowed from French yourte or German Jurte, from Russian ю́рта (júrta, “yurt”), from a Turkic language, from Proto-Turkic *yūrt (“dwelling place”).

noun

1. A large, round, semi-permanent tent with vertical walls and a conical roof, usually associated with Central Asia and Mongolia (where it is known as a ger).
   [T]heir [the Nogais'] cattle grazed on the Little Injik, only seven versts from the boundary line. In summer they kept them in the Black Mountains, and in winter at their auls. They lived in felt yurts, and often changed their place of abode. 1880, Henry H[oyle] Howorth, “The Nogais, Karakalpaks, and Siberian Tartars”, in History of the Mongols from the 9th to the 19th Century. Part II. The So-called Tartars of Russia and Central Asia, part II, division II, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 1026
   Who would have imagined that the circular, skin-covered, pole-framed tents used by Mongolian nomads would find another life in the Colorado backcountry? The Mongols might be surprised if they could see how their portable structures have been improved and put to use in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. […] About halfway to the [Neff Mountain] yurt, the trail makes an uphill switchback and passes the bottom of a big, open bowl. 1994 February, Andrew Stiny, “Yurts of the San Juans: Ski and Camp in the Colorado/New Mexico High Country, Mongolian Style”, in Backpacker: The Magazine of Wilderness Travel, volume 22, number 129(1), Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 70
   Northeast of the center's main group of yurts is a new neighbor—the Spruce Hole Yurt—operated by Cumbres Nordic Adventures. This yurt is easy to get to, affords scenic views, and serves up classic touring terrain. 2000, Brian Litz, “San Juan Mountains”, in Colorado Hut to Hut. Volume 2: Southern Region, volume 2, Englewood, Colo.: Westcliffe Publishers, page 55
   The principal dwelling of the nomadic Kazakhs, the circular, felt-covered yurt is a potent image of Kazakh culture. Few Kazakhs now live in yurts, although they are still used by some pastoralists who still move their herds into summer mountain pastures. […] But the imagery of the yurt remains central to Kazakh ethnic identity, and provides national cultural symbolism deployed by the authorities of independent Kazakhstan. 2008 August, Paul Brummell, “Background Information”, in Kazakhstan: The Bradt Travel Guide, Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire: Bradt Travel Guides, page 17
   I saw the first round white roofs of yurts, or gers as they are called in Mongolian. Yurt is Russian, and all that is Russian is now on the outer in Mongolia. If you said yurt, Mongolians looked at you as though you had uttered a dirty word. 2010, Lydia Laube, Slow Boat to Mongolia, Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield Press
   When designing any building (including a yurt), one should consider the trade-off between letting in more light and heat in the winter and blocking the intense rays of the sun in the summer. […] The first few months during which we lived in our yurt saw the sun burning into our south and southwest facing windows. Our only solution was to use blinds, which left the yurt darkened. A more viable solution was a mirrored portable awning that was built into a scaffold sitting just outside the window. 2013, Robert F. Lee, How to Build a (Semi) Solid Wall Yurt, [United States]: Published by CreateSpace for Robert F. Lee, page 71