Boots and slippers

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You'll find two primary types of footwear in traditional Mongolian households: leather boots (called gutals or gatuls) and felt slippers. 

Mongolian boots are originally made for the convenience of horse riders when they are galloping; therefore, they are foot-friendly, exceptionally solid, and have good quality soles. Gutals that are well designed filled the gap of the stirrup with the upturned toe keeping the gutal from slipping out of the stirrup, even if the horse suddenly starts to buck or gallop. During a fast gallop on a tight saddle, the special design of the gutals allows the horseman to stand on the stirrup due to its flat sole.

A significant difference in the process of making Mongolian shoes compared to other leather boots is not using a standard mold. The left and the right boot are identical to each other, which means that they aren't specifically meant for the right or left leg.

Mongolian boots are also designed for the harsh climate, with hot summers and cold winters. As the extra air, which fills the space in the upturned toe, allows the gutals to keep cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and helps keep stones and other objects away so that the surface of the boots remains undamaged. 

Mongolian boots consist of two parts: actual boots and the special long socks, which are made of a thick fabric inside. The soles of Mongolian shoes are leather, felt, and quilted. The back part of the shoe's heel is combined with the sole to stabilize and strengthen the component part called zuzai. Zuzai is made from soaked raw cowhide while the sole is cowhide and cowhide leather. 

The inseam is the girth measurement located at the center of the length of the foot and tells you if your foot is wide or narrow. The part that unites the sole and the upper part of the shoe and protects the shin and ankle muscles from external influences is called the upper part of the shoe made of specially treated cowhide leather. 

A clip is a special strap that is responsible for connecting shoe laces, unifying the entire shoe, and accentuating the shape. The cleats are made of specially processed leather, which is decorated and gets more elaborate the older or higher in rank one is.

In addition to the boot, there are traditional socks that fit into these as well (normally they are the attached inner material of Mongolian shoes) made of felt or cotton. 


The felt slippers could have been made out of sheep wool or camel hair, depending on the region and what the herders were breeding. 

Below you can see a short video on felt making in Mongolia. Since felt is an important part of creating the clothes and padding for the gers, it's a good skill for us to focus on in Arts and Science projects.


This video shoes the process for making your own felt boot liners.



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