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History: the yurt (yourt, yurta), a nomad's tent made of felt, has been the traditional abode of the nomads of Central Asia from ancient times to the modern day. Yurts had become the main Kazakh and Karakalpak dwelling for the desert by the end of 19th century. Only the tribes that lived high in the mountains had primitive clay buildings. The other tribes did not begin to build clay buildings until the 20th century. Some Kazakhs have not forgotten their ancient transportable dwelling, but continue to live in them. Yurta - "uy" or "kora-uy" which used to be the only dwelling of the Kazakhs in the past, exist nowadays alongside warm winter houses, but for the most part they are used only by shepherds in the mountains.
The latticework wall of the yurt consists of a few sections - called "keraga". The Spherical roof is made of long poles - the "uuk", one end of the poles are fastened to the wall of the yurt and the other end stuck in a hole in a big wooden circle that forms the cupola of the yurt. From the outside, the yurt is covered with felt, or mats, fixed to the yurt by wide strips of carpet, called "bou" or "boshkur". In the centre of the yurt a fireplace is located with a tripod to hold cooking pots. A hole for light and smoke is left open on the cupola. On cold or rainy days the top hole is shut tightly with a piece of felt, which prevents the wind or precipitation from entering. Interior walls are decorated with straw mats..
In wintertime the Kazakhs put 2-3 rows of straw mats along the walls, and the space between them was stuffed with straw. The floor was covered with carpets and sheepskins. Poor people could not afford expensive yurts, and they built primitive huts -called "kappa", round or rectangular in form. In those huts they survived the winter. Later, clay huts with reed roofs - or "chubtora" appeared.