Discover the Highest Ancient Palace in the World - Potala Palace
As an iconic historical and cultural hotspot of Tibet, Potala Palace, the world's highest ancient palace, is a must-see attraction for anyone traveling to the land of myths and natural grandeur. It was built as the center of Tibetan government by the fifth Dalai Lama in 1645 then became the residence of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, a holy hill in South India whose Sanskrit word means "Abode of the Avalokitesvara". Potala Palace was actually an overlay the remains of a former fortress built from the 7th century. This giant 13-storey palace stands 3,750 meters above sea level at its highest point, covers over 13 hectares with sloping stone walls measure 3 meters thick on average, and contains over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues. The whole place is composed of 2 parts, the Red Palace as the center and the White Palace as two wings. It now has become a museum which depicts the Tibet's great history and culture and was considered an architectural masterpiece of Tibetans. Owning the richness of important values, Potala was recognized an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Following the steps up to the top, you can see the great views of Lhasa city as well as beautiful plateau landscape far away.
