The Karakalpak Yurt Door

The Karakalpak Yurt Door

A beautifully decorated yurt door from Moynaq
This yurt won the annual town competition for the best yurt of 2004

The external decoration of the Karakalpak yurt is designed around the entrace door, creating a welcoming atmosphere to both owner and guests alike.

The doorway of the yurt is made up of various parts which can be easily dismantled, typical of all Turkic yurts. The entire doorway is known as the yergenek and this name is also used specifically for the pair of hinged wooden doors which fold inwards. The upright struts, or door jambs, are known as the tulg'a. The threshold is the bosag'a and the lintel is the man'laysha (from man'lay, forehead).

The doors of Karakalpak yurts were often plain and undecorated. Carving and, in particular, painting of the doors in bright colours became more popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s. In the 1920’s and 1930’s this had been considered to be a ‘Kazakh taste’. According to Savitsky some craftsmen preferred to use Amu Darya willow (Salix oxica, known locally as sog'ıt), or pine (qarag'ay) for the door panels. According to our research sog'ıt was indeed used for door panels but its botanical name is Salix alba. Salix oxica is in fact aq tal. It also seems strange that he refers to the use of pine, as both pine and birch (qayın') are generally considered to bring misfortune and sterility.

In addition to the inner pair of wooden doors the yurt also has an outer roll-up door called a yesik. This is fastened to the uwıqs (poles linking the kerege and the roof-wheel thereby forming the roof of the yurt) above the man'laysha with the aid of three ropes which are sewn to its upper edges. It is rectangular in shape and is slightly larger than the yergenek and tulg'a so that when it is rolled down all of the gaps are covered. It is made of a reed screen sewn onto a base of felt or other thick material.

An early 20th century Karakalpak yesik with a duwashıq amulet and a lower suwag'ar
Item 8762-23901 from the collection of the Russian Ethnography Museum

Yesiks are ornamented in a traditional way with vertical strips in appliqué or combination technique sewn onto the sides. These are known as shiyqayıw. Another horizontal strip is sewn onto the bottom of the yesik overlapping the shiyqayıw, designed to prevent the ingress of water. This is known as the suwag'ar, which literally means "water is running". In the centre of the yesik is sewn the duwashıq.

The duwashıq on a yesik or outer door of a yurt in one of the northern suburbs of No'kis.

This is made from material in the form of a triangle with the point facing downwards. It generally has tassels at each of the corners. The shape of this triangle calls to mind the tumar amulet and it is connected with pre-Islamic beliefs. Similar protective triangles can be seen on the back of men’s postın coats and on children’s clothing. In the past pieces of paper with verses from the Qu'ran were sometimes put into a pocket in the duwashıq, thereby fulfilling a similar role to the ha'ykel worn by girls and women.

Pronunciation of Karakalpak Terms

• aq tal



• bosag'a



• duwashıq



• kerege



• man'laysha



• qarag'ay



• qayın'



• shiyqayıw



• sog'ıt



• suwag'ar



• tulg'a



• uwıq



• yergenek



• yesik

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