Kazakh yurt (kiyiz üy)

A yurt can be put up or taken down in a few hours: its walls are a folding wooden lattice (kerege), its roof curved poles (uyk) and its crown the circular shanyrak. It is covered with felt and furnished inside with carpets, felt rugs and embroidered textiles.

The interior has its own order: the tör opposite the entrance is the place of the most honoured guest, with the hearth in the centre. The shanyrak symbolises the continuity of the family and is passed down the generations; it appears on Kazakhstan's state emblem.

"Traditional knowledge and skills in making Kyrgyz and Kazakh yurts (Turkic nomadic dwellings)" was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2014.