Eight White Palaces' Yurts

　　The Eight White Palaces of Genghis Khan and other deities enshrined were mostly built in the form of yurts. Yurts, known as "chomchog ordos" in Mongolian, are the honorific term for felt tents. Yurts come in two types: single and double. Double yurts consist of two interconnected tents and emerged when the Four Ordos housing several of Genghis Khan’s wives merged with the Eight White Palaces.

　　By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the yurts of Genghis Khan and his wife Borte, his wife Hulan, and the Zhungeer Jin Yurt were double yurts, while the rest were single. Yurts served as facilities for enshrining the deities of Genghis Khan. The Eight White Palaces were composed of yurts. Although their shape and structure resemble traditional Mongolian gers, they are not identical. It is said that the yurts were modeled after the legendary peach-shaped heavenly palace and also symbolize the gourd shape associated with fortune and prosperity. Historical records refer to them as "yurts shaped like a heavenly palace."

　　These yurts have been passed down through generations for over seven hundred years since the Great Mongol Empire, preserving the ancient Mongolian imperial design. For this reason, Russian Mongolian scholar Vladimirzov remarked: "The yurts housing Genghis Khan’s relics in Ordos differ greatly in appearance from ordinary Mongolian gers. The top of the yurt, as described by Joborkh, has a 'neck.' The yurt is a type of ancient Mongolian khan and noble residence. The frame of the yurt is constructed by inserting wooden rafters (uni) into a top basket-like wooden frame (khalgas) and erecting wooden lattice walls (khana). The top khalgas truly resembles a neck, unlike ordinary Mongolian gers.

　　Normally, the yurts are covered with white felt. The specially made yurt of Genghis Khan, used for the spring Chagan Saruu Festival and set up on March 18th at the Bayanchangor grassland campsite, is covered with white felt and additionally wrapped in an outer layer made of brownish-yellow fabric adorned with green tassels. During the Chagan Saruu Festival, people see Genghis Khan’s yellow yurt, hence it is also called "Altan Ord" (Golden Palace).

　　The wooden frame of the yurt before being covered with felt is called "gashi," and after being covered, it is called "chomchog" (yurt). The khana of the yurt are upright wooden lattices that do not interconnect with each other. The bottom of the khana has a square wooden base, with holes drilled to match the number of khana and door frames, into which the khana and door frames are inserted. In a single yurt, the vertical posts of the khana include nine on the east, west, and north sides (including corners), and six on the side with the door. The khana are five feet high, with a piece of wood at the top called "murbugchi" (shoulder insert), onto which both the top of the khana and the bottom of the uni are fitted. The top of the uni curves slightly outward, while the bottom curves inward slightly to fit into the murbugchi. The uni are generally six feet long, with those at the corners about six and a half feet. The top of the uni is clamped into an inverted basket-like khalgas. After the felt is laid, the top of the khalgas holds the golden roof of the yurt, which is tightened in four directions with ropes. The toono (skylight) of the yurt is not located in the exact center of the roof but is positioned in front of the golden roof. The yurt’s door is double-paneled.

　　The double yurt of Genghis Khan and Borte is similar in shape to other yurts, except that the rear yurt is larger and includes columns and beams inside to create a spacious ordos.