Capital · Historic city · Cultural centre · Tibet
Lhasa
拉萨
The Potala, the Jokhang and the pilgrim circuits of the Barkhor
Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lying at about 3,650 metres in the valley of the Lhasa River. For more than a millennium it has been the religious centre of Tibetan Buddhism, with the Jokhang Temple as its holiest shrine, and from the seventeenth century to 1959 it was the seat of the Dalai Lamas' government in the Potala Palace.
Key facts
Overview
Lhasa lies on the north bank of the Lhasa River (Kyi Chu), a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo, in a broad valley ringed by bare mountains. The old city is centred on the Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor, the pilgrim circuit around it; the Potala Palace stands on the Red Hill to the west. Around them a large modern city has grown since the 1980s.
Pilgrims from all Tibetan regions come to walk the three kora circuits — the Nangkor inside the Jokhang, the Barkhor around it and the Lingkor around the old city — and to visit the great Gelug monasteries of Drepung and Sera on the city's edges.
Names and nicknames
日光城
“city of sunlight”
For the intense sunshine of the high, dry valley.
逻些
The name used for the city in Tang-dynasty Chinese sources, from the Tibetan Rasa.
圣地
“holy land”
Lhasa means “place of the gods” in Tibetan (ལྷ་ས་).
History
In the seventh century Songtsen Gampo made Lhasa his capital and built the first palace on the Red Hill; the Jokhang was founded in his reign — tradition links it with his Nepalese queen Bhrikuti, and its most sacred image, the Jowo Shakyamuni, with Princess Wencheng. After the fall of the empire Lhasa lost its political role until the Gelug school founded Drepung (1416) and Sera (1419) nearby. In 1642 the Fifth Dalai Lama made the city the seat of his government, and the Potala was rebuilt from 1645. Qing ambans resided in the city from 1727. The British expedition of 1904 reached Lhasa; in 1951 the People's Liberation Army entered it, and in March 1959 fighting in the city ended with the flight of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to India. Since the 1980s the city has grown rapidly, and the railway from Qinghai arrived in 2006.
7th century
Songtsen Gampo's capital
The king built a palace on the Red Hill and founded the Jokhang and Ramoche temples.
823
Tang–Tibetan treaty pillar
The bilingual treaty pillar was erected in front of the Jokhang, where it still stands.
1409
Great Prayer Festival
Tsongkhapa inaugurated the Monlam festival at the Jokhang, held after the Tibetan New Year.
1416–1419
Drepung and Sera founded
The two great Gelug monasteries were among the largest monasteries in the world.
1645–1694
Building of the Potala Palace
The White Palace was completed under the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Red Palace under the regent Sangye Gyatso.
1755
Norbulingka begun
The Seventh Dalai Lama began the summer palace and park west of the Potala.
1904
British expedition
Younghusband's force entered Lhasa and imposed the Anglo-Tibetan convention.
March 1959
Lhasa uprising
Fighting in the city followed an uprising against Chinese rule; the Dalai Lama left for India.
1994
UNESCO World Heritage inscription
The Potala Palace was inscribed; the Jokhang (2000) and Norbulingka (2001) were added later.
2006
Railway reaches Lhasa
The Qinghai–Tibet Railway connected the city to the national rail network.
Landmarks
Historic site
Potala Palace
布达拉宫
Thirteen-storey palace-fortress on the Red Hill, with the White Palace of the government and the Red Palace of chapels and the stupa tombs of Dalai Lamas.
Temple or shrine
Jokhang Temple
大昭寺
The holiest temple of Tibet, housing the Jowo Shakyamuni; pilgrims prostrate themselves at its gate.
Street or quarter
Barkhor
八廓街
The circuit street around the Jokhang, walked clockwise by pilgrims and lined with shops and old town houses.
Temple or shrine
Drepung Monastery
哲蚌寺
Gelug monastery below Mount Gephel in the west of the city, once the largest monastery in Tibet; scene of the giant thangka unveiling at Shoton.
Temple or shrine
Sera Monastery
色拉寺
Gelug monastery in the north of the city, known for the afternoon debating of its monks.
Park or garden
Norbulingka
罗布林卡
The summer palace of the Dalai Lamas in a large park, part of the World Heritage site.
Temple or shrine
Ramoche Temple
小昭寺
Temple in the old city founded in the seventh century, associated with Princess Wencheng.
Museum
Tibet Museum
西藏博物馆
The regional museum near Norbulingka, with archaeology, thangkas, manuscripts and crafts.
Neighbourhoods
Chengguan
城关区
The central district, including the old town around the Barkhor and the Potala.
Doilungdêqên
堆龙德庆区
Western district with the railway station and newer development.
Dagzê
达孜区
Eastern district on the road to Ganden Monastery.
Food
Sweet tea
甜茶
Milk tea served in thermos flasks in Lhasa's crowded teahouses, with bowls of Tibetan noodles.
Momo
藏式包子
Yak-meat dumplings, steamed or fried.
Yak yoghurt
牦牛酸奶
Thick, sour yoghurt, often eaten with sugar or tsampa.
Tibetan noodles
藏面
Noodles in broth with minced yak meat.
Culture
Religious practice shapes the city's daily rhythm: pilgrims circle the Barkhor at dawn and dusk with prayer wheels and rosaries, butter lamps burn in the Jokhang, and juniper smoke rises from incense burners. The Shoton festival in summer opens with the unveiling of a giant thangka at Drepung and continues with Tibetan opera in the Norbulingka. Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is the main family festival.
Mountains and nature nearby
Getting around
- Lhasa Gonggar International Airport lies south-west of the city in the Yarlung Tsangpo valley, reached by expressway.
- Lhasa railway station, south-west of the centre across the river, has trains to Xining and the rest of China and to Shigatse and Nyingchi.
- The old city is best explored on foot; taxis and buses serve the rest of the city. At 3,650 metres, visitors should rest on arrival.
Day trips
Ganden Monastery
甘丹寺
The first Gelug monastery, founded by Tsongkhapa in 1409, on a ridge east of Lhasa; heavily damaged in the 1960s and rebuilt.
Namtso
纳木错
Large sacred salt lake at about 4,700 m north of the Nyenchen Tanglha range.
Yamdrok Lake
羊卓雍错
Turquoise lake beyond the Kamba La pass on the road to Gyantse.
Tsurphu Monastery
楚布寺
Seat of the Karmapa lineage of the Kagyu school, in a valley west of Lhasa.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Lhasa Municipal People's Government — Lhasa Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Lhasa — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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