The nomadic way of life required dwellings with a light structure that were easy to transport, assemble, and dismantle. The typical Central Asian tent, known today as a yurta or ger, is a circular construction with a conical roof made of a wooden trellis covered with felt. Practical and functional, this structure has not undergone substantial change since ancient times. The interior of the tent becomes a home when wool rugs are spread on the floor, colorful textiles are hung on the walls, and a stove is placed in the center, its vertical pipe piercing the circular aperture in the roof.
A Mongol royal tent was the epitome of luxury and allowed the ruler to reconcile semi-nomadic and sedentary lifestyles. This tent was exceptionally large and was transported, fully assembled, by placing it on a wheeled contraption pulled by oxen. Its interior was lined with sumptuous textiles made by the best weavers of Iran, Central Asia, and China. Its floor was covered with the warmest and most comfortable Persian rugs. Gold and silver cups, ewers, and bowls were placed on low red-lacquered wooden tables and trays. A large number of smaller and slightly less luxurious tents belonging to the traveling members of the retinue made the entire caravan a grand sight. In this way, the Ilkhanid rulers would travel from their summer capital at Tabriz in northwestern Iran to the winter capital at Baghdad in Iraq.
The Mongols, however, never lost their taste for lavish objects related to their ancestral nomadic roots. Their love of the horse and of personal adornment associated with the nomadic life continued even after they adopted the urban concept of the court. Horses were bedecked with gold saddles and trappings, probably only for parading. Sumptuous silk coats, flamboyant hats decorated with eagle and owl feathers for men and with gold plaques and pearls for women, richly embroidered leather boots, and ostentatious belts were part of daily fashion.
Stefano Carboni
Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Qamar Adamjee
Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
October 2003
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/khan9/hd_khan9.htm (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Komaroff, Linda, eds. The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. See on MetPublications
Wardwell, Anne E. "Panni Tartarici: Eastern Islamic Silks Woven with Gold and Silver (Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries)." Islamic Art 3 (1988–89), pp. 95–173.
Carboni, Stefano, Trinita Kennedy, and Elizabeth Marwell. “Commercial Exchange, Diplomacy, and Religious Difference between Venice and the Islamic World.” (March 2007)
Carboni, Stefano, Trinita Kennedy, and Elizabeth Marwell. “Venice and the Islamic World, 828–1797.” (March 2007)
Carboni, Stefano, Trinita Kennedy, and Elizabeth Marwell. “Venice’s Principal Muslim Trading Partners: the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the Safavids.” (March 2007)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Blown Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings).” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Folios from the Jami’ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles).” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Legacy of Genghis Khan.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Stained, or Luster-Painted Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Takht-i Sulayman and Tile Work in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Trinita Kennedy. “Islamic Art and Culture: the Venetian Perspective.” (March 2007)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Blown Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings).” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Folios from the Jami’ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles).” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Legacy of Genghis Khan.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Stained, or Luster-Painted Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Takht-i Sulayman and Tile Work in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)