Lhasa, Barkhor Market and around Lhasa town

  TIBET, China
Monday, September 17, 2007

Lhasa,  Barkhor Market and around Lhasa town


Lhasa's Barkhor Street is located in the center of Lhasa. The street circles the Jokhang Temple, and has been an essential pilgrim route since the foundation of the temple. Buddhist pilgrims can be seen throughout the day and night walking, or prostrating themselves clockwise along Barkhor Street spinning their prayer wheels and chanting sutras.   There is more to Barkhor Street than just a place for pilgrims to walk. Barkhor Street, often called the "Window of Tibet" is famous for its shopping.

The shops and booths along the street  were filled with all sorts of items unique to Tibet. There was a large variety of Tibetan Buddhist articles including: Thangkas, statues, prayer wheels, butter lamps, prayer flags, sutras, beads, incense and scarves  . There were also shops selling house wares, but Tibetan house wares are also unique, and often beautiful: cushions, aprons, leather bags, quilts, shoes, knives, hats, butter pots, wooden bowls, and dried meats. There was certainly an abundance of souvenirs available on Barkhor Street        Besides the shopping, Barkhor Street had a lot of historical interest. A small lane going North from Barkhor street .(the oldest street in Lhasa) led to a building which used to be Lhasa's Yamen (A Yamen  is any local bureaucrat's office and residence)  *The term Yamen has been widely used in China for centuriesis. It is now the office of Lhasa's magistrate and is just a small three story temple, although,  and it is said that Tibetan characters were invented in the temple.       

There was one, unique yellow building standing on the corner. (mainly because, all of the buildings along the street are white except this one )We thought that this was probably the building we were looking for but it was not open at the time (and the altitude was getting the better of us) so we headed back to the main square. ).