The Tibet Museum is located at the southeast corner of the Norbulingka Road in Lhasa. It is the first large-sized comprehensive modern museum in the Tibet Autonomous Region; it is a brilliant literary and arts palace of the Tibetan people, a gem of Tibetan civilization and a treasure house of Tibeta

Construction of the Sakya Monastery was begun in 1073 by Kung Gung Quijiepuo on the orders of Basba. It resembles a castle in typical Yuan Dynasty style. Among the historical articles here are a lot of imperial certificates, gold signets, crowns, and costumes bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty emperors. T

Namtso, another holy lake in Tibet, is located near Damxung. 4718 meters (15475 feet) above sea level and covering 1900 square kilometers (735 square miles), the lake is the highest saltwater lake in the world and the second largest saltwater lake in China. The snow capped Mt. Nyainqentanglha, consi

Palkhor Monastery has an unusual structural style and houses a collection of pure silk costumes worn in Tibetan opera, all richly embroidered, that date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The monastery is also unique in that it is the only one known to accommodate monks from three different orders: t

Tashilhunpo is one of Tibet¡¯s most revered and influential monasteries, lying about a mile (two km) to the west of the city at the base of Drolmari Mountain. It dates from 1477, having been founded by the first Dalai Lama, and became the seat of the Panchen Lama in 1713. The mona

Sera Monastery lies 4 km north of Lhasa, and was one of only eight [of some 3000] monasteries in all of Tibet to be spared the vicissitudes of the Cultural Revolution. It is here that the monks' famous daily debates take place, at 3.30pm. They are highly stylized with much clapping and stamping

The monastery is famous throughout Tibet since it was the first Buddhist chapel ever built in Tibet. It lies five kilometers (three miles) south of Tsedang on the road leading to Yumbu Lakhang. Built approximately under the reign of Songtsen Gampo, Trandruk later experienced large-scale reconstructi

Yarlong Tsangpo River, originating from a glacier on the north Himalayas, is the highest river on the earth with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters (13,120 feet). Running 2,057 kilometers (1,275 miles) in Tibet, it finally flows into India, where it is named as Brahmaputra. The river is t

Yamdrok Yumtso is one of the four holiest lakes in Tibet, Legend says that a fairy descending to the earth formed the bright turquoise blue lake. Yamdrok Yumtso is also a pilgrimage site - it is believed that its water restores youth, prolongs life and even makes children smarter.

Yumbu Lakang is the oldest-known dwelling in Tibet, its construction surrounded by various myths and legends associated with the founding of the Tibetan civilization. One such myth tells that King Nyatri Tsenpo descended from heaven in the 2nd century BCE to build the castle. Another legend claims t