yurt, tentlike Central Asian nomad’s dwelling, erected on wooden poles and covered with skin, felt, or handwoven textiles in bright colours. The interior is simply furnished with brightly coloured rugs (red often predominating) decorated with geometric or stylized animal patterns. The knotted pile rug, first known from a nomad burial at the foot of the Altai Mountains (5th–3rd century bc), probably developed as a fur substitute to provide warmth and sleeping comfort in the yurt.
Other items found inside a typical yurt include saddlebags, drinking gourds, and tools for spinning and weaving. The yurt is pitched wherever the nomad finds good pasture for the herds and is carried from place to place on horseback or on a small wagon.