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| 2604 Yurts in Inner Mongolia in 1986 |
"...They [the Mongols] have circular houses made of wood and covered with felt, which they carry about with them on four-wheeled wagons wherever they go. For the framework of rods is so neatly and skillfully constructed that it is light to carry. And every time they unfold their house and set it up, the door is always facing south." Even though seven centuries have passed since Marco Polo wrote the above, the Mongols still live in such dwellings, whether they live in Mongolia, in China (Inner Mongolia) or in Russia.
Therefore, a traditional yurt (named in mongolian ger, which means simply home) is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt. The structure comprises an angled assembly or latticework of pieces of wood or bamboo for walls, a door frame, ribs (poles, rafters), and a wheel (crown, compression ring) possibly steam-bent. The roof structure is often self-supporting, but large yurts may have interior posts supporting the crown. Modern yurts may be permanently built on a wooden platform.
The traditional decoration within a yurt is primarily pattern-based, which are generally not according to taste, but are derived from sacred ornaments with certain symbolism. They include the khas (swastika) and four powerful beasts (lion, tiger, garuda, and dragon), as well as stylized representations of the five elements (fire, water, earth, metal, and wood). Repeating geometric patterns are also widely used, the most widespread being alkhan khee (walking pattern), ulzii, khamar ugalz (nose pattern) and ever ugalz (horn pattern).
The design of the Mongolian ger developed from its ancient forms to actively integrate with Buddhist culture. The crown-toono adopted the shape of Dharmachakra. The earlier style of toono is called in Mongolia sarkhinag toono while the toono representing Buddhist dharmachakra is called khorlo toono. Also the shapes, colors and ornaments of the wooden elements are in accord with the artistic style found in Buddhist monasteries of Mongolia. Such yurts are called uyangiin ger, literally meaning "home of lyrics" or "home of melodies".
About the stamps
Mongolia stamps
Two of the stamps, depicting Niels Bohr and Galileo Galilei, are part of the series World's Most Famous Scientists, about which I wrote here. The other stamp is one of the four of the series Wild sheep, about which I wrote here.
The last stamp is part of the series Fauna & Flowers, issued on February 15, 2014:
• Lilium dahuricum & Cypripedium calceolus (200 MNT) - It's on the postcard 2604
• Saussurea involucrata & Aegypius monachus (300 MNT)
• Iris sibirica & Lilium pumilum (400 MNT)
• Trollius asiaticus & Tulipa uniflora (900 MNT)
• Cypripedium macranthum & Adonis sibirica (1000 MNT)
China stamp
About the chinese stamp I can say only that was dedicated to olympics.
United States stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Apples, about which I wrote here. About the stamp depicting the iconic figure of "Wisdom" which is installed over the entrance to the GE Building at Rockefeller Center, I wrote here.
References
Yurt - Wikipedia
Mongolians Yurts - Mongolians Yurts
Sender: ???
Sent from Mongolia to China, then to United States (Greenvale / New York), then to Romania (Ploieşti / Prahova)
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