The Ger or Yurt
The ger, known to a lot of Westerners as the yurt, is the traditional dwelling of the Mongols. It is constructed of a framework of poles (uni) radiating from a center smoke hole ring (tono), which is lashed on top of a circular latticework wall. Also, many Siberian peoples, including the Tsatang and Urianhai Mongols, live in tepees.
In all cases the orientation and symbolism of the ger is true for all Mongolian groups. Gers and tepees (uurts) are designed to be easily assembled or taken down as the nomadic travels of their owners requires, nevertheless, the imagery and meaning of the ger stays the same no matter where it is erected.
The ger is not only the center of the universe, but also a microcosm within it. In fact, it is a map of the universe at large, and the vault of the heavens is reflected in the arched shape of the interior of the ger roof.
The entrance is always to face the south, since that is the front of theger. The north side, called the hoimor, located behind the fire, is the most honorable spot in the ger. It is here that the sacred objects, ongon spirit dwellings and other religious images are placed on a table. The sitting place next to the hoimor is the most honored and is occupied by elders, chiefs, shamans, or other respected guests.
The right, west, side is the male side, and is the sitting place for men and storage place for men’s tools, saddles, bows, and guns. The left, east, side is the sitting place for women, and cooking utensils, cradleboards, and other women’s objects are placed there. Since the southern side is the least honoured spot, young people are usually seated on the southern part of the left and right sides.
Movement is "sunwise," in a clockwise direction. The reason why this is regarded as the path of the sun becomes readily apparent if one watches the track traced by the circular patch of sunlight entering through the smokehole through the day. Whenever moving inside the ger, one must always move in a sunwise direction.
