The ger

The ger is the housing of preference for the vast majority of Mongolians,
whether in the countryside or in the city, most Mongolians live in this combination of wood, canvas, and felt.
Even in the Capital, Ulan Bator, 61 percent of the 700K inhabitants live in gers. In the countryside, the percentage is much higher.
In cities and small towns, gers are often located within wooden or tin fencing, because during the 70 years of Soviet control, the citizens were required to have a physical address in order to receive public amenities like electricity or mail. However, it was unsuccessful, since the Mongolians would just pack up their ger and move out into the countryside as was their nomadic tradition. You can always find clusters of them in any town, but you will also find them scattered individually in the midst of modern permanent buildings. In Ulan Bator it is not unusual to find one sitting at the base of a modern high rise hotel or office building.
Out on the vast stretches of the steppes, the ger can be found individually or in family groupings. One is seldom out of sight of a ger somewhere on the horizon.
Prior to the 1800’s gers were either built on huge wooden frames with huge wheels or lifted upon them when it came time for these nomadic people to move their herds to new grazing land.
With modern materials available to the people and with the commercial production of the gers, the portable ger was developed and is now the standard.
They are easily movable, relatively inexpensive, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and amazingly strong in the face of Mongolian storms and the high winds which sweep across the steppes of this Central Asian land.
There are always traditions which govern the establishment of the ger. Doors always faces south, for example. This maximizes the sunlight into the ger, since there are no windows in the ger.
Women enter to the right, Eastward, and all “Women’s” tools, (dishes, cooking pots, food storage, tea flasks, etc) are on that side of the ger. Whereas the men enter to the left, the west and all his traditional tools, saddles, rifles, and things of this ilk are kept on this side.
Decorations in the ger are usually bright colors – oranges and reds being very popular, and the chests containing clothes and the family valuables ( photos, books, and Buddhist artifacts) are to the north or the back of the ger.
The beds are located in the respective areas and men and women do not sleep together.
The stove is located in the center of the ger with the stovepipe exiting the ger at the top. This stove is used both for cooking and heating. It is not unusual for them to use dried horse dung for their heat since the treeless steppes are devoid of other fuel.
When approaching a ger, one does not say “Hello” but rather “Get your dog” since almost all Mongolians on the steppe have guard dogs, not to protect against people but predators which would otherwise attack their flocks.
If you accidently brush your leg against someone or kick them while stepping over them in the limited space of the ger, you don’t say “Sorry” but instead you shake their hand.
Usually you will be offered Yak milk tea which is prepared, not with sugar, but with salt, since there is little natural salt in the diet.
They are amazingly comfortable. Beds tend to be on the hard side with felt padding below and woven blankets for warmth, but even the most affluent Mongolians will live in gers for part of the year. It’s their heritage and part of their national makeup.