Yurts have been used as shelter for at least three thousand years and are still the most common type of habitation in Mongolia.  A high percentage of the population retains a nomadic lifestyle and yurts can be seen throughout the country, whether on the steppes, the Gobi Desert, or the mountainous regions in Central and Western Mongolia. 

The practicality, comfort, and portability of the yurt allow these people to live in the time-honored way, moving every few months, These nomads lived alongside rare wildlife, including the snow leopard, Gobi bear, white elk and wild horses.