Mongolian Yurt (Felt Dwelling)

Timeline

1. c. -500–1200Eurasian steppe · Eurasian steppeSteppe peoples such as the Scythians, Xiongnu, and Turkic groups developed circular mobile dwellings with lattice walls and felt covering, adapted to a life of following water and pasture, laying the basic form of the later Mongolian yurt.
2. c. 1206–1330Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauAs the Mongol Empire expanded, felt yurts became standard equipment for military camps and the great khans' ordo (palace tents); large ordos could consist of dozens of connected encampments, reflecting the mobility and hierarchical order of nomadic politics.
3. 1331–1340Yuan Shangdu and the steppe khanates · Inner MongoliaIn the 1330s Yuan emperors went annually to Shangdu for the summer, and the court held court assemblies, hunts, and sacrifices in large felt-tent encampments on the steppe; the Chagatai and Golden Horde armies still used yurts as mobile camps on campaign, and herders' everyday dwelling forms continued the imperial tradition.
4. c. 1368Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauAfter the fall of the Yuan dynasty, the Northern Yuan and Ming-era Mongol tribes still used the yurt as their dwelling; materials and structures have been improved in modern times, but the circular felt-tent form has continued among Mongolian and Central Asian steppe herders to this day and has become an important symbol of Mongolian culture.