Barkhor Street

As a very ancient round street, Barkhor Street is surrounding the Jokhang Temple. It is located in the old area of Lhasa City, Tibet. The Tibetan people are always proud of the Barkhor Street. As a symbol of Lhasa, this street is also a must-see place which the tourists can not miss.

In 647, the first Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (617 - 650) built the Jokhang Temple. The magnificence of the Jokhang Temple quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. Thus, a trodden path was formed. That is the origin of Barkhor Street. Today even still many pilgrims hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise there from dawn to dark. Also you can see some pilgrims walking or progressing body-lengths by body-lengths along the street. Even some of them are teenagers or have experienced thousands of miles' walk to reach this sacred place. The way they express their piety could make you understand the holiness of religion.

For tourists, Barkhor Street is a magical place showing the original outlook of Lhasa. The street was paved by hand-polished stone boards. Though it is not broad, it accommodates thousands of tourists every day. There, visitors can buy many beautiful souvenirs. Varied shops stand on both sides of the street and thousands of floating stands are on every corner. Most of them offer the prayer wheels, long-sleeve 'chuba' (the Tibetan people's traditional clothes), Tibetan knives and some religious articles for sale. Furthermore, some shops sell 'Thangka' (the Tibetan scroll painting), which is a unique art of Tibet with the themes of religion, history, literature, science and customs. Surprisingly, there are some articles from India and Nepal in this street as well.

Combining ancient and modern, religious and everyday life in perfect harmony, Barkhor Street is a must-see places in Tibet for tourists.