UNESCO Intangible Heritage
Why Is the Ger Considered a Living Classroom?
UNESCO recognises the craft of building the Mongol ger — and the customs lived inside it — as heritage worth protecting.
In 2013 UNESCO inscribed the traditional craftsmanship of the Mongol ger and its associated customs on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The listing describes how the ger is made by hand from wood, felt and rope, usually with men carving the frame and women sewing and decorating the covers.
The inscription stresses that the skill is passed on inside families, through apprenticeship, from elders to young people. The ger is not only a building: the order of seating, the place of the hearth and the way guests enter all carry meaning.
That is the same space where many proverbs in this archive were first heard. Ger Dotor — “inside the ger” — takes its name from it.