Yurt Internal Furniture Woman Spinning

The Bashkirs as well as many nomadic peoples of Eurasia were spending about half of their life in temporary dwellings, the most ancient and the most universal kind of which was trellised yurta (tirme), that was warm in hard frost, cool in heat. The framework of yurta consisted of four or six (well-to-do ones had yurta consisting of eight or nine and more) wooden collapsible lattices (rope), which was put on a circle. A cone-shaped roof was attached to them. It was formed from wooden thin poles (uk), the lower end of which was based on lattices, upper (pointed) one - on a wooden circle (sagarak) that simultaneously was both a window and a smoke outlet to let the steam accumulating under its felt vault because of smoking pot out from yurta. The top of the yurta was covered by five - seven family cashmas.

  The smoke circle was not usually covered in daytime, at night or in nasty weather it was covered by quatrangular cashma, which was either curtailed in daylight, or risen by long pole. The framework of yurta and its one-folded wooden door was painted in red (dark red) colour. There were also yurtas with felt door.

  Nowadays traditional yurta as a dwelling of the Bashkirs has not been preserved. It can be seen on a spring holiday “Sabantuy” and at the large museums of Bashkortostan as well. However, it has not disappeared without leaving any trace. Admiring with famous gothic cathedrals of Western Europe with their arched vaults on edges (ribs), one can not but ask a question: whether yurta their prototype is, because there is much in common in their design.

  The major element of the Bashkir yurta was certain (sharshau), which divided dwelling on two unequal parts. The right part from a door (a smaller one) was a female part, there household goods were kept (leather and wooden utensils, food supplies), female and children's daily clothes etc.) The left, larger part was intended for men, it was also used for guests. It was filled with the brightest and colourful subjects: bed accessories, patterned cloths and towels. Military equipment of a rider decorated with patterns (quivers, cases and pouches for fraction and powder), horse harness, celebratory clothes were hung out on trellised walls of the yurta. And, at last, in a man's half, along a wall opposite to an entrance, there was a conventional honorary place - uryn, there was a chest on a carved stand with folded on it multi-coloured carpets, cashmas, blankets, cushions drawn by a special patterned tape with ornament on a black or red background.

  Yurta for steppe nomads was the centre of the universe. Their life began and finished there. It was microcosm in macrocosm, a model of the world, which at first seemed for the ancient people as flat, one-circled, then two-circled one: below there was ground, above - sky with stars. In visible world image were constructed not only graves, but dwellings as well. The world as a circle was embodied in round yurta at first, later - in fixed dwelling - a log hut. The yurta as well as space on a horizontal had three levels: the floor (personified ground), internal space (air) and dome (firmament). The floor of the yurta for the nomad was something more than just earthen or wooden floor for the settled ploughman: it was a place for sleeping, resting, reception of the visitors, here passed holidays, weddings, commemoration, people were born and died. A floor of the yurta was covered by patterned cashmas, woollen carpets, that created thereby art interior of the yurta.

  The internal walls of the yurta (air) were covered by large patterned fabrics, home-made carpets, hung out on a trellised framework; on their background hung woven and embroider towels, celebratory clothes, decoration, hunting accessories, horse harness, weapon, which together with ornamental floor created peculiar ensemble.

  The dome of the yurta personified firmament, an aperture in it, through which light penetrated, associated with sun.

  Dwelling as the organized part of macrocosm separated the person from the external world and was for him “his”, not hostile. Everything, that was behind its limits was “another's”, frequently hostile. And to make “another's” not penetrate in dwelling, all points of connection with the external world were decorated with ornament, with help of which the ancient people believed to protect themselves from the harmful spirits, evil eye and other misfortune. The malicious forces, according to notion of ancient Bashkirs, could penetrate in dwelling through an entrance door, place of conjunction of the yurta’s various parts. Therefore door of the yurta was first to be decorated, and also the line, where a trellised framework connected with a dome: a broad woven band with a geometrical pattern was fixed on it. As it was mentioned the framework itself was decorated by the patterned fabrics, the carpets.

  According to the notions of the ancient Bashkirs, colour had also a preserving function. As it was among many others east people red was the most favourite colour of the Bashkirs. The yurta’s framework, an entrance door was painted by red - brown colour to make them “impenetrable” for dirty forces.

  In winter time the Bashkirs lived in houses, which at semi-nomadic household were simple log hut mainly without decoration.

  In XIX - beginning of XX centuries interior of the Bashkir izba represented stylistically unified solution. Textiles of various colourings, the items from soft materials together with other subjects of household gave a strictly rational interior of the Bashkir izba filling of smartness, cosiness, warmth. In dwelling there was an environment adequate to mentality, internal world of Bashkirs, turned to settled mode of life. The art and functional contents of a log hut preserved elements of traditions of nomadic dwelling, which during history process were changed into the new form - a form of a constant, settled home. (Yanbukhtina А.G. National traditions in furniture of the Bashkir house. Ufa, 1993. p.93.)

  Externally house was designed non-uniformly: the part of a house inverted to a street - facade was more decorated than opposite one looked out on a court yard. Casings of the windows, shutters, pediments i.e. parts, which covered places of conjunctions, through which the harmful spirits could penetrate into the house were the most decorated parts of the facade. The casings the of windows decorated by simple carving made a facade of a house bright, giving it an attractive look. Probably therefore for long time they were main, quite often unique objects of decorating. The special attention was given to the ornament of the upper casings. Their lower part, as a rule hidden from eyes by fence, that separated a house from a street, was less decorated.

  There is a opinion according to which the pediment of casing was more rich decorated than its lower part, because it as well as the roof’s pediment symbolized celestial sphere. In some regions the decoration of lateral broad, use of lateral details, optically enlarging window apertures got a very wide spreading. In the past the under-window board mostly remained without ornaments. The lower ends of lateral boards were rounded off, they were given a shape of sharp spear, hanging over tassels, heart shape. The restraint and simplicity in decoration of casing’s lower and lateral parts made its upper part brighter and more distinguish.

  In the past casings with rectangular top were most widespread. The above-window board was usually decorated by carving with grooves, superimposed rhombuses, squares and other simple elements. As their further development appeared casings with a cover - eaves on supports - brackets decorated with cut details. In buildings of the Bashkirs arch- and vault- shaped casings with open-work top were used as well. “ The main distinctive feature in decoration of modern casings is their colouring. Usually the contrast colours are chosen: dark and light. If the casing is painted in dark tone (more often - in dark blue), laid on figures are painted in light, and on the contrary. In the latter case the colouring is more effective. The blue colour on a white background especially is beautiful in the summer, when the house is surrounded with greens. ” (Kuzeev R.G., Bikbulatov N.V., Shitova S.N. Decorative creativity of the Bashkir people. Ufa, 1979. p.176.)

  The functions of an entrance door and gate were the similar. The gate served as connection of an internal court yard with external space. That’s why there was a necessity to secure them. As a protection the Bashkir people used horse, sometimes bear skulls, which were hung out on a fence or a gate. According to notion of the ancient Bashkirs ornaments had also protective functions. The asymmetric gates with two folds and a wicket were decorated with rectangular or figured details. Occasionally was found gates decorated by ancient cut or bas-relief carving.

  Casings of windows, doors, pediments, gates were decorated by different ways . The most widespread in the past was wood paintings: yurta’s door, wooden utensils etc. were decorated by this. The pattern of paintings quite often was the same as ornaments of woven, embroidered subjects.

  The Bashkir people decorated casings, rarely gate, wickets by an ancient cut method with which solar ornament is connected (half-sun or sun with rays executed by nail- groove carving).

  On the boundary of XIX -XX centuries laid on method were widespread.

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