2010-02-25
THE GER
Because they are nomadic and move three or four times a year, Mongolian herders have developed a remarkable wood and wool house that can be taken apart in just a few hours and can be easily transported on a pack animal.
This called a ger, and it is remarkably cool in summer, warm in winter, windproof and usually beautifully decorated, even though it is made from just a few basic elements.
Those come from a word of high rise skyscrapers are often amazed that such a tradition continues. Yet the Mongolian nomad-and many city dwellers too-would have it no other way. Many herders refuse to take up a permanent location, feeling that it would be sacrilegious to be tied to one plot of land.
The ger evolved centuries ago for the nomads who were constantly moving in search of new pastures. To set up a ger, you must first pick a fairly level side on good dry soil. Next, you lay a floor of wooden planks and place the stove in the middle.
(to be continued)
