The preliminary yurt work was done at the home of politics professor Chris Pyle. The yurt will stand through Sunday, October 31. During the week of October 24, Mount Holyoke's Russian and Eurasian studies department's focus on Central Asia will be highlighted when the ambassador of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan speaks on Wednesday, October 27, and a yurt is constructed on the College' s main green on Monday, October 25. The yurt installation is expected to take about an hour. After its construction on October 25, at 4 PM, the yurt will stand through Sunday, October 31.
Yurts are portable wood-framed tents that are still home to many nomads on the Central Asian steppe.
Built with canvas and cedar wood, the nomadic structure on the Mount Holyoke green will be sixteen feet in diameter and nine-feet high. Its wooden lathe and rafters will be prepared ahead of time in politics professor Chris Pyle's home workshop. The yurt will coincide with the visit to Mount Holyoke of the ambassador to the United States from Kyrgyzstan. The lecture will be held in the Morrison Room in the Willits-Hallowell Center. A reception will follow.