Nomadic dwellings
Build a home that can move: a yurt from Mongolia, a tipi from the plains, a lavvu of the Sámi, an igloo of snow or a Bedouin tent of black goat hair. Choose the size, the colour and a decorative band, and put several in a circle around a campfire, with a corral for the animals. Below you can see how the curves are calculated.
Point at a block for the explanation. Click a block to mark it as placed. The side view shows the section at the chosen column, Layer shows the chosen layer from above.
Build plan
Per layer
| Layer | Parts | Blocks |
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A number is the count of blocks of that part in that layer, in the colour of the part. Click a layer to see it from above.
Build tips
- Nomads moved with their herds. Their homes had to go up quickly and travel on an animal.
- Wool in Minecraft is felt and hide at the same time: choose a colour that suits the landscape.
3D and layer-by-layer build plan
To Minecraft
Download the dwelling or camp as a schematic file and paste it with WorldEdit, or build it with a hologram in Litematica.
How it is calculated
History and fun facts
The yurt
Herders in Mongolia and Central Asia have lived in yurts for centuries, called ger in Mongolian. The wall is a lattice of wooden laths that you can pull open like scissors. Thick felt of sheep's wool goes over it, with a crown at the top for light and smoke.
A family puts up a yurt in a few hours and takes it along on camels or yaks. The door traditionally faces south.
The tipi
The peoples of the North American plains, such as the Lakota and the Cheyenne, lived in tipis: a cone of long poles, covered with buffalo hide. At the top two flaps sit by the smoke hole, which you can turn to the wind with poles.
Tipis were first pulled by dogs on a frame of poles, later by horses. That is why tipis could become larger.
The lavvu
The Sámi in the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia moved with their reindeer. Their tent, the lavvu, looks like a tipi, but it is lower and sturdier, so it can stand the strong wind of the tundra.
The igloo
Inuit in the Arctic built igloos as shelter during the hunt. The snow blocks are laid in a spiral that leans further inward as it goes up, until the dome is closed. A low tunnel in front of the entrance keeps the cold air out.
The word iglu simply means house in Inuktitut.
The Bedouin tent
Bedouins in the deserts of Arabia and North Africa live in tents of black goat hair, called the house of hair. The weave lets the wind through and gives shade. When it rains, the hair swells and the tent becomes waterproof.
The sides can be raised, so the wind blows through. Inside, a cloth divides the tent into a part for guests and a part for the family.
Did you know?
- A Mongolian yurt has no nails: the parts are tied together with rope and straps.
- In Minecraft light melts plain ice, but not snow blocks or packed ice.
- A tipi often leans a little: the back is steeper, so it stands up better to the wind.
- Reindeer are the only deer where the females also have antlers.
About this tool
With this Minecraft generator for nomadic dwellings you build a yurt, a tipi, a lavvu, an igloo or a Bedouin tent. You choose the diameter, the colour of the felt, hide or cloth, and a decorative band. Inside come rugs and a campfire, in the igloo a lantern.
Put several dwellings in a circle around a campfire with log seats, with the doors toward the middle, and add a corral for the animals. Six examples help you start: a Mongolian camp, a large yurt, a plains camp, a Sámi camp, an igloo village and a Bedouin camp.
The tool works out the curves layer by layer, with a build plan per layer, a 3D preview and a .schem download. This way you build a yurt or tipi in Minecraft that is really round. For houses that stay put there is Longhouses.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a round yurt in Minecraft?
A circle 9 or 11 blocks wide looks roundest. Build the wall 3 high in white or light grey wool, put a decorative band around it and make the roof as a low cone that gets a little smaller every layer. At the top comes a crown of slabs with a hole for the smoke.
Does the wool not burn from the campfire?
A campfire does not set blocks on fire. An open fire, like burning netherrack, can. So always keep fire in a campfire block.
How much wool do I need?
It is shown at the top under Cover. A yurt 9 wide is about 150 blocks of wool, a tipi 7 wide a little less. A camp of three dwellings is three times as much.
Can I build this in Bedrock?
Yes. The front view and the build plan per layer work in every version. The .schem file is for Java Edition with WorldEdit or Litematica.