The tents of Central Asian nomads are a very important part of nomadic life and are the only form of formal housing for peoples. They are extremely durable and ideal for use in the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Each tent in itself is a work of art and takes almost 12 months to build using yakovo wool, which is manually spun into yarn.
Construction of a Central Asian nomad tent
Tents built by Central Asian nomadic tribes, as a rule, are of medium size and are held by a hand-made rope of yakovo wool and from eight to twelve (they are tied to the size of the tent), treated with wooden pillars. The hand-woven fabric used to cover the tent is reliably thin and allows a certain amount of light to pass during the daytime. The tent is built to include a large opening at the top of the tent, which is used as a chimney or smoke hole to release smoke from the central stone slab located in the tent. During the warmer months of the year, these openings are also used to provide fresh air and warm sunlight in the living area in the tent. A number of Buddhist prayer flags are also attached to the outside of the tent.
The interior of most Central Asian nomadic tents is mainly based on Spartan features and a few things. However, there are several basics that are commonly found in all the nomadic tents of Central Asia, including sleeping mats, warm woolen blankets, an erected gas stove, a wooden table, clothing and food stores, and religious symbols, including paintings by Dalai Lama and paintings of buddhist art.
Directly outside the tent, traditional Central Asian namadas kept yaks and dogs tied. Dogs are used as a form of safety as well as companionship, and yaks are used for their wool and their manure as a source of fuel that is burned in the kilns found inside the tents.
Central Asian nomadic tents in the modern world
The use of traditional nomadic tents in Central Asia is rapidly declining due to the urbanization of parts of the traditionally nomadic peoples of this region, but also because more and more Central Asian tribes are beginning to live in houses made of mud brick. Currently, the only areas of Central Asia that still have an abundance of traditional nomadic tents that people use as a residence can be found in Nagchu and Ngari prefectures in Tibet (known in China as the Tibet Autonomous Region) and in Yushu and Ganzi prefectures actually China.
