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36-835: Ordu-Baliq is in a grassy plain called the Talal-khain-dala steppe, on the western bank of the Orkhon River in the Khotont sum of the Arkhangai Province , Mongolia , 16 km northeast of the Khotont village, or 30 km north-to-northwest of Kharkhorin . The Orkhon emerges from the gorges of the Khangai Mountains and flows northward to meet the Tuul River , which has on its upper reaches

72-413: A continuous wall. Ruins of a large number of temples and houses are found south of the center. The Khan's residential palace , also ringed by walls on all sides, stood in the northeastern part of the town, where Russian archaeologist Nikolay Yadrintsev discovered a green granite monument with a statue of a dragon perched at the top, bearing a runic inscription glorifying the khagans. Ordu Baliq

108-536: A door frame, ribs (poles, rafters), and a wheel (crown, compression ring) possibly steam-bent as a roof. The roof structure is sometimes self-supporting, but large yurts may have interior posts or columns supporting the crown. The top of the wall of self-supporting yurts is prevented from spreading by means of a tension band which opposes the force of the roof ribs. Yurts take between 30 minutes and 3 hours to set up or take down, and are generally used by between five and 15 people. Nomadic farming with yurts as housing has been

144-542: A sign of preservation of our roots and origins." This three-story structure includes a café, offices, and VIP apartments ,as well as a large auditorium with 3,000 seats. The design of the Mongolian ger developed from its ancient simple forms to actively integrate with Buddhist culture. The crown—toono adopted the shape of Dharmachakra. The earlier style of toono, nowadays more readily found in Central Asian yurts,

180-777: Is a popular destination for tourists. From Kharkhorin it flows northwards until it reaches Bulgan aimag , and then north-east to join the Selenge River next to Sükhbaatar city in Selenge aimag , close to the Russian border. The Selenge then flows further north into Russia and Lake Baikal . With 1,124 km (698 mi), the Orkhon is longer than the Selenge, making it the longest river in Mongolia. Major tributaries of

216-426: Is additionally covered with canvas and/or sun covers. The frame is held together with one or more ropes or ribbons. The structure is kept under compression by the weight of the covers, sometimes supplemented by a heavy weight hung from the center of the roof. They vary in size and relative weight. They provide a large amount of insulation and protection from the outside cold of winters, and they are easily changed to keep

252-528: Is called in Mongolia "sarkhinag toono," while the toono representing Buddhist dharmachakra is called " khorlo " (Tibetan འཀོར་ལོ།) toono. Also the shapes, colors, and ornaments of the wooden elements—toono, pillars, and poles of the Mongolian yurt—are in accord with the artistic style found in Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia. Such yurts are called "uyangiin ger", literally meaning "home of lyrics" or "home of melodies". Enthusiasts in other countries have adapted

288-399: Is itself emblematic in many Central Asian cultures. In old Kazakh communities, the yurt itself would often be repaired and rebuilt, but the shangyrak would remain intact, passed from father to son upon the father's death. A family's length of heritage could be measured by the accumulation of stains on the shangyrak from decades of smoke passing through it. A stylized version of the crown is in

324-621: The Khangai Mountains in the Tsenkher sum of Arkhangai aimag at the foot of the Suvraga Khairkhan mountain. From there, it crosses the border into Övörkhangai aimag and follows the upper Orkhon valley in an eastern direction until it reaches Kharkhorin . On this stretch, very close to the Orkhon, the Ulaan Tsutgalan river features a waterfall , ten metres (33 ft) wide and twenty metres (66 ft) high, which

360-538: The Orkhon Valley as a World Heritage Site . Yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages ) or ger ( Mongolian ) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Inner Asia . The structure consists of a flexible angled assembly or latticework of wood or bamboo for walls,

396-645: The Russian Academy of Sciences , under Friedrich Wilhelm Radloff (1891). 47°25′52″N 102°39′34″E  /  47.43111°N 102.65944°E  / 47.43111; 102.65944 Orkhon River The Orkhon River ( / ˈ ɔːr k ɒ n / ; Mongolian : Орхон гол [ˈɔrχɞɴ‿ɢɜɮ] ) is a river in Mongolia . The Orkhon river derives its name from the Old Turkic prefix "or" meaning "middle", and "khan" or king. It rises in

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432-603: The Samanid Empire , Tamim ibn Bahr , visited Ordu Baliq in 821 AD and left the only written account of the city. He traveled through uninhabited steppes until he arrived at the Uighur capital. He described Ordu-Baliq as a great town, "rich in agriculture and surrounded by rustaqs (villages) full of cultivation lying close together. The town had twelve iron gates of huge size. The town was populous and thickly crowded and had markets and various trades." He reported that amongst

468-551: The Turkic World , the government of Turkmenistan constructed a yurt-shaped structure, called Ak Öýi (White Building) and described as "The World's Largest Yurt", of concrete, granite, aluminum, and glass. Established on November 27, 2015, the structure is 35 meters high and 70 meters in diameter. According to the Turkmenistan state news agency, "A white yurt is a symbol of an age-old, distinctive historical-cultural legacy,

504-508: The 1960s, after he was inspired to build them by a National Geographic article about Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas 's visit to Mongolia. In 1978, American company Pacific Yurts became the first to manufacture yurts using architectural fabrics and structural engineering, paving the way for yurts to become popular attractions at ski resorts and campgrounds. Yurts are also popular in Northern Canada. In 1993, Oregon became

540-526: The Middle East. Marco Polo 's writings even mentioned the use of yurts in the court of Kublai Khan . In more recent history, yurts have gained attention in the West for their unique aesthetics and practicality. Traditional yurts consist of an expanding wooden circular frame carrying a felt cover. The felt is made from the wool of the flocks of sheep that accompany the pastoralists . The timber to make

576-627: The Orkhon river are the Tuul River and Tamir River . There are two sets of ancient ruins along the river valley: Khar Balgas , the ancient capital of the Uyghur Kingdom and Karakorum , the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire . Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov excavated several Xiongnu Imperial tombs in the area of the river valley. Fish in the Orkhon River include pike , carp , perch , taimen and catfish . UNESCO lists

612-414: The center of the coat of arms of Kazakhstan , and forms the main image on the flag of Kyrgyzstan . Today a yurt is seen as a national symbol among many Central Asian groups, and as such, yurts may be used as cafés (especially those specializing in traditional food), museums (especially those relating to national culture), and souvenir shops. In celebration of the city of Mary's year as Cultural Capital of

648-405: The center of the town were palaces and temples, including a monastery. The palace had fortified walls around it and two main gates, east and west, as well as moats filled with water and watchtowers. The architectural style and planning of the city appear to have close parallels with T'ang Chinese models, although some elements appear to have derived inspiration from elsewhere. An ambassador from

684-425: The continuous hammer or walking pattern (alkhan khee). Commonly used as a border decoration, it represents unending strength and constant movement. Another common pattern is the ulzii, a symbol of long life and happiness. The khamar ugalz (nose pattern) and ever ugalz (horn pattern) are derived from the shape of the animal's nose and horns, and are the oldest traditional patterns. All patterns can be found among not only

720-400: The current capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar . A favorable micro-climate makes the location ideal for pasturage, and it lies along the most important east-west route across Mongolia. As a result, the Orkhon Valley was a center of habitation and important political and economic activity long before the birth of Genghis Khan , who made it known to the wider world. In 744, after the defeat of

756-421: The external structure is not to be found on the treeless steppes , and must be obtained by trade in the valleys below. The frame consists of one or more expanding lattice wall-sections, a door frame, bent roof poles, and a crown. The Mongolian ger has one or more columns to support the crown and straight roof poles. The (self-supporting) wood frame is covered with pieces of felt. Depending on availability, felt

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792-593: The felt cover and ornate features across the exterior that is present in traditional yurt. There are UK-made yurts that feature a metal frame in use in at least two glamping sites in Somerset and Dorset . The palloza is a traditional building found in the Serra dos Ancares in Galicia (NW Spain). Pallozas have stone walls and a conical roof made of stalks of rye . Different groups and individuals use yurts for

828-486: The first state to incorporate yurts into its Parks Department as year-round camping facilities. Since then, at least 17 other US States have introduced yurt camping into their own parks departments. In Europe , a closer approximation to the Mongolian and Central Asian yurt is in production in several countries. These tents use local hardwood , and often are made for a wetter climate with steeper roof profiles and waterproof canvas. In essence they are yurts, but some lack

864-763: The last Göktürk Kaghan by the Uyghur - Qarluk - Basmyl alliance, the Uyghurs under Bayanchur Khan (Bayan Çor) established their imperial capital Ordu Baliq on the site of the old ördü ("nomadic capital"). Ordu-Baliq flourished until 840, when it was reduced to ruin by the invading Yenisei Kyrgyz . The capital occupied at least 32 square kilometers. The ruins of the palace or temple complex (360x404 meters) laying at coordinates 47°25′53″N 102°39′34″E  /  47.431288°N 102.659349°E  / 47.431288; 102.659349 — which include ten-meter-high double clay walls four meters apart, 14 watch towers—eight on

900-503: The primary life style in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia , for thousands of years. Modern yurts may be permanently built on a wooden or concrete platform; they may use modern materials such as metal framing, plastics, plexiglass dome, or radiant insulation . The Old Turkic yurt ( ' tent, dwelling, abode, range ' ) may have been derived from the Old Turkic word ur —a verb with the suffix +Ut. In modern Turkish and Uzbek,

936-496: The southern side and six on the northern side—two main entrances, one on the east and the other on the west, a twelve-meter-high citadel in the southeast corner and a 14-meter-high stupa in the center — clearly indicate that Ordu Baliq or Urgin Balyq Old Turkic : 𐰇𐰼𐰏𐰃𐰤𐰉𐰞𐰶 was a large, affluent town. The urban area has three main parts. The largest and central part consists of numerous buildings surrounded by

972-450: The temdeg or khas ( swastika ), the four powerful beasts ( lion , tiger , garuda – a kind of avian , and dragon ), as well as stylized representations of the four elements (fire, water, earth, and air), considered to be the fundamental, unchanging elements of the cosmos. Such patterns are commonly used in the home with the belief that they will bring strength and offer protection. Repeating geometric patterns are also widely used, like

1008-427: The townspeople, Manichaeism prevailed. The most striking detail of his description is the golden yurt or tent on top of the citadel where the khagan held court. He says that from (a distance of) five farsakhs before he arrived in the town (of the khaqan) he caught sight of a tent belonging to the king, (made) of gold. (It stands) on the flat top (sath) of his castle and can hold (tasa') 100 men. The golden tent

1044-828: The visual idea of the yurt, a round, semi-permanent tent. Although those structures may be copied to some extent from the originals found in Central Asia, they often have some different features and structures in their design to adapt them to different climate and uses. In Canada and the United States , yurts are often made using hi-tech materials. They can be highly engineered and built for extreme weather conditions. In addition, erecting one can take days and it may not be intended to be frequently moved. Such North American yurts are better thought of as yurt derivations, as they are no longer round felt homes that are easy to mount, dismount, and transport. North American yurts and yurt derivations were pioneered by William Coperthwaite in

1080-571: The wall could be seen at a distance. He was told that the Mongols call it either Kara Balghasun ("black city") or khara-kherem ("black wall"). Paderin's belief that this was the old Mongol capital Karakorum has been shown to be incorrect. The site was identified as a ruined Uyghur capital by the expedition of Nikolay Yadrintsev in 1889 and two expeditions of the Helsingfors Ugro-Finnish society (1890), followed by that of

1116-406: The word yurt is used as the synonym for 'homeland' or a 'dormitory', while in modern Azerbaijani, yurd mainly signifies 'homeland' or 'motherland'. In Russian, the structure is called yurta (юрта), whence the word came into English. Yurts have been a distinctive feature of life in Central Asia for at least two and a half thousand years. The first written description of a yurt used as a dwelling

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1152-482: The yurts cool for summertime. A yurt is designed to be dismantled and the parts are carried compactly on camels or yaks to be rebuilt on another site. Complete construction takes around 2 hours. The traditional insulation and decoration within a yurt primarily consists of pattern-based woollen felted rugs. These patterns are generally not according to taste, but are derived from sacred ornaments with certain symbolism. Symbols representing strength are, for instance,

1188-605: The yurts themselves, but also on embroidery, furniture, books, clothing, doors, and other objects. In Kyrgyz felted rug manufacturing the most common patterns are the Ala kiyiz and Shyrdak. Ornaments are visualising good wishes or blessings of the makers to a daughter who gets married, to children, or grandchildren. The shangyrak or wooden crown of the yurt ( Mongolian : тооно , [tɔːn] ; Kazakh : шаңырақ , romanized :  Shañıraq [ɕɑɴəɾɑ́q] ; Kyrgyz : түндүк [tyndýk] ; Turkmen : tüýnük )

1224-479: Was a fully fortified commandry and commercial entrepot typical of the central points along the length of the Silk Road . The well-preserved remains now consist of concentric fortified walls and lookout towers, stables, military and commercial stores, and administrative buildings. There are remains of a water drainage system. Archaeologists established that certain areas were allotted for trade and handcrafts, while in

1260-591: Was considered the heart of the Uyghur power, gold being the symbol of imperial rule. The presence of a golden tent is confirmed in Chinese historical accounts where the Kirghiz khan was said to have vowed to seize the Uyghurs' golden tent. In 1871, the Russian traveler Paderin was the first European to visit the ruins of the Uighur capital. Only the wall and a tower were in existence, while the streets and ruins outside

1296-470: Was recorded by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus . He described yurt-like tents as the dwelling place of the Scythians , a horse riding-nomadic nation who lived in the northern Black Sea and Central Asian region from around 600 BC to AD 300. As popularity grew, it extended beyond Central Asia. In the 13th century, during the height of the Mongol Empire , yurts were introduced to parts of Europe and

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