Copyright ©1985-2008 by Heather Daveno

History
The maikhan of the modern day Tibetan Plateau and Mongolian Steppes is a sprawling network of poles and ropes, supporting a felt of yak hair that is so thin and coarse that visitors say these shelters offer only minimal protection from wind and cold. They are large enough to house a modest Tibetan nomadic family, and more resemble the tents of the modern day Arabic nomads, than the stately structures of thirteenth century Tibet.

The peaked roof of the thirteenth century maikhan was supported by a ridgepole, supported by two upright poles. Guy ropes served to stabilize these uprights at each end of the maikhan. The guy ropes which were made of yak hair, were adorned with prayer flags, which served to both mark the guy ropes (notorious trip hazards), and to send prayers to heaven for the Buddhist inhabitants. Smaller maikhans belonging to Buddhist ascetics included an iron trident, which probably fastened to the top of one of the two uprights.

Side ropes were connected to the junction where the roof met the walls, which pulled the walls out and held the roof taut (a design echoed in the 20h century American Army tent). The walls were further drawn out at the base and were staked to the ground, which offered a sloping silhouette, which allowed the maikhan to withstand high winds.

In the thirteenth century, these tents were large enough for several people to stand in. The maikhan of a wealthy family was made of thick felt that was whitened with a coat of lime, as a white tent was a symbol of great wealth. Strips of black cloth were appliquéd to the gores, doorways and at the bottom edge, probably to act as reinforcement at the stress areas.

Traditional maikhans dating from Marco Polo's time are still used for Naadam and other festivals in Tibet and Mongolia. These tents (shown below) are nearly always white with the traditional black trim, and often elaborately painted or appliquéd. Maikhans are still used for festivals and other gatherings, and are available by custom order from Tent Tom.

To Build Your Own Maikhan

The maikhan that I built started out as cover for a 2-man nylon pup tent. My first step was to set up the pup tent, and cut bamboo ridgepoles to support the felt maikhan. The ridge poles, aside from being the necessary support system for the finished maikhan, also prevented the pup-tent from collapsing under the weight of the felt, which can absorb a lot of water during inclement weather.

Using 1" diameter bamboo, I cut two poles 4" taller than the nylon tent. I secured these uprights to the metal pup tent poles with twine. I cut the primary ridgepole 6" longer than the length of the pup tent and lashed this to the two uprights. I followed the same process for the secondary ridgepoles. The uprights for these secondary ridgepoles were secured to the guy rope grommet and stake on each side of the pup tent.

For the body of the maikhan, I used a 70% /30% wool/rayon blend black felt, as local suppliers did not carry the preferred 100% wool felt. I chose black because it was the color used by common nomads, and because I hoped it would absorb the heat of the day and keep me warmer at night. I found that the felt, combined with the nylon of the pup-tent, was great insulation, and took that into consideration while planning the interior, which I finished the following year.

I cut the roof panel the width of the primary ridgepole. I laid this piece of felt over the roof of the pup tent, and cut it off so that it hung over the secondary ridgepoles by 12". Since I didn't know how to draft patterns, I used a costuming technique called "draping" for the rest of the sections.

For the sides, I pinned a felt to the edge of the roof section, and laid it over the guy ropes, which gave me a panel that was axe shaped (figure 1). In hindsight, I should have run a piece of twine from the end of the ridgepole to the end of the guy rope, which would have given a more suitable shape (figure 2). I then sewed this side panel to the roof using flat felled seams. I followed the same procedure for the other side. I draped the finished roof and side panels back over the ridgepoles, and waied for a rainstorm so that the felt would shrink. If I had been in a hurry, and if water had not been rationed that year, I would have hosed it down to speed up this process.

 

 

 

 

After the felt had survived its first rainstorm and then had dried, I centered the roof section over the primary ridgepole. Full size maikhans have a slit down the center of the roof, which acts as a smoke hole. I chose instead to leave an opening around the back end of the ridgepole to act as a smoke hole and ventilation.I secured the bottom edges of the side panels to the guy rope stakes, and pulled the felt taut. I then laid a felt over the back of the tent (which included a guy rope), and pinned it to the roof and side sections. I cut it out allowing 5" at the base and 1" for seam allowances. The front of the maikhan was cut similarly, but in two pieces that overlapped by several inches. Laying the end pieces over the guy rope gave it a more traditional pitch, which made the maikhan more wind resistant. I sewed the back and front felts to the roof section, and returned it to the frame in time for the next rainstorm.

I was happy to find that the felts did not shrink more than I expected them to. My next step was to waterproof my maikhan. I had read that Mongolians waterproofed their gers with milk, so I decided to put this to the test. I bought a gallon of milk and a house painting brush, and went to work. The dry felt soaked up the entire gallon. When it was dry, the felt was sized and actually did repel heavy moisture. I would later find that the milk needed to be reapplied after every third rainstorm. I painted a Tibetan Snow Lion onto the roof with yellow latex paint, and added red wool filigree appliqués to the corners of the roof. I planned to add more appliqués the following year, which never did happen.

My pup tent wore out the following year, which prompted me to transform the felt tent from a cover, to a fully functional maikhan. To accomplish this, I designed an interior support structure that relied on both ridgepoles and interior ropes to support the felt.

I replaced the 1" poles with bamboo that was 3" in diameter. I cut these new poles so that there was a natural joint at each end. The ridgepoles were drilled through each end to facilitate a bolt (a). I filled the end joint with air drying clay and ran the bolt through to form a channel. I felt that this would strengthen the end of the pole, and be a guide for the bolt. I filled the end joint on the upright with the same clay, and used the bolt to make a channel. I drilled a hole through the upright, underneath the end joint, and ran a rope through this hole (b). The bolt dropped through the ridgepole, into the upright, and was secured by the rope, which was tied over the top of the ridgepole. The combination of bolt and rope formed a sturdy joint between the bamboo upright and ridgepole.

Weather in the Pacific Northwest is inclement even during the summer, so I lined the maikhan with nylon ripstop. I chose black so that it would be indistinguishable from the felt. If I were doing this tent again, I would choose a white or pale color so I could see without having to use a flashlight. I cut a panel of rip stop 10" wider than the roof panel, and long enough to drape over all three ridgepoles and extend a few inches past the bottom edge of the side panels. I put a deep hem into the long edges, which would act as rope casings. I cut two strips of rip stop and sewed them down the length of the rip stop panel about a third of the way in from each edge, and ran hemp ropes down all four of these casings.

I assembled the 3 ridgepoles and set them up, using twine as guy ropes. I laid the rip stop panel over the center ridgepole, sliced the center of the edge hems to expose the rope, and looped the rope around the end of the ridgepole. I followed the same process for positioning the secondary ridgepoles. I staked the ropes to the ground to keep everything upright. I attached a back wall to the ripstop, using the same method as with the felt. I did not line the front flaps, although I would do so if I ever made another maikhan.

I laid the felt over the ripstop liner, and trimmed both felt and liner at the bottom so that they were even. I applied 2" square patches of ripstop to the backside of the felt, and made a buttonhole in the center. I removed each guy rope from its stake, ran it through this buttonhole, and ran it back to the stake. I hemmed the ripstop by hand, and ran a running stitch along the edge of the felt to give it some support. I also applied patches to the end panels so that they could be staked out also. This afforded me a low sloping profile which was wind resistant from all sides, and which shed rain away from the main living area.

If you wanted to hem both the felt and ripstop together, it would make a stronger and more finished hem. I chose not to do this, because I could push the liner up on the inside for additional ventilation, without losing my privacy by having to push up the felt wall as well. I attached heavy twine to the outside of the maikhan where the roof met the sides, so that on very hot days I could raise both the felt and ripstop sides. I also attached ties on both the inside and outside of the door flaps so that they could be secured.

This photo was taken circa 1985, and shows me in Tibetan costume, standing at the doorway of my finished maikhan. The folding chair was from a discount furniture store and was nearly identical in construction to a thirteenth century Chinese folding throne that resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.