Barkhor Street - a must-see attraction in Lhasa! The essence of the ancient city of Lhasa is here!

In Tibet, due to geographical, climate and other factors, the scale of Tibetan cities is not large, and many counties are even smaller than a small village in the mainland.

However, although these cities are small in size, their status in history and significance in reality cannot be underestimated.

Lhasa, Tibet, is such a city with a profound history.

Lhasa, what kind of "cover" should we use to represent it?

In this era of rapid development and ever-changing technology, Lhasa is constantly changing, but it seems to remain unchanged.

Speaking of Lhasa, many people who represent it think of the Potala Palace. The Potala Palace is Lhasa and the dazzling representative building of Tibet. There is no doubt about the importance and symbolic significance of the Potala Palace.

Some people also say that the Jokhang Temple is the representative of Lhasa and the most authoritative temple in Tibetan Buddhism. It has received worship from countless tourists for thousands of years.

The Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple are both the most famous tourist attractions in Lhasa, but Shuying thinks that the "cover" of Lhasa should be Barkhor Street.

Barkhor Street is one of the three famous turning streets in Lhasa and is the best-preserved old city in Lhasa.

In the modern metropolis, Lhasa still retains a quaint street full of ethnic characteristics. Walking on this street feels like returning to Tibet thousands of years ago.

Barkhor Street, located in the old city of Lhasa, can also be called Bajiao Street (interested friends can learn more about why Barkhor Street is also called Bajiao Street).

Barkhor Street is an old-style neighborhood with a strong flavor of Tibetan life. At first it was just an ordinary street surrounding the Jokhang Temple, and later it evolved into a street for believers to worship and pray.

After years of development, Barkhor Street today has become a commercial center for travel. There are believers and tourists coming and going on Barkhor Street. Barkhor Street integrates religion, sightseeing, folk customs, culture, and commerce and has become a a comprehensive focus point.

The center of Barkhor Street is the Jokhang Temple, which forms a square temple layout with the Juekang Hall (the hall dedicated to the Buddha Sakyamuni) as the center.

The circle surrounding the Buddhist temple is called the "Nangkor", the circle surrounding the outer wall of the Jokhang Temple is the irregular circular "Bakuo", and there is a street surrounding the entire old city of Lhasa including the Potala Palace. "Kuo", that is, the external turning of the meridian path. (In Tibetan, "Kuo" means "circle").

The first two closed routes constitute the two most important prayer streets in the hearts of the Tibetan people. On this basis, Lhasa's original mandala-style urban layout with the Jokhang Temple as the center developed.

Tips for visiting Barkhor Street:

* When turning to Barkhor Street, follow the clockwise direction

* It is best to go early when visiting Barkhor Street. Most of the shops on the street will be closed after 6 pm.

Today's Barkhor Street is no longer just a passing street. The development of the times has given it more meaning.

Barkhor Street shows the original style of the ancient city of Lhasa. Nowadays, almost all the houses facing the street have become shops. There are countless mobile stalls. They sell various large and small prayer wheels, Tibetan robes, thangkas, and murals. , religious supplies and other Tibetan souvenirs, it is the best place for tourists to shop.

In addition to Tibetan souvenirs, you can also buy products from India and Nepal on Barkhor Street. All kinds of products are concentrated on Barkhor Street, which is only more than 1,000 meters long. They are of high quality and low price.

There are also many temples hidden in Barkhor Street. The nearby Xia Mi Yuan, Sutra Printing House, ruins of Xide Temple, Canggu Nunnery, mosques and other religious and cultural holy places can fully appreciate the collision of different cultures.

Barkhor Street specialty shops

Ethnic Shopping Mall: Walking about 20 meters west from Jokhang Temple Square is the famous "Ethnic Shopping Mall". There are a rich variety of ethnic handicrafts in the mall, more than in Barkhor Street, and the quality is also better.

Snowland Thangka Handicraft Shop : There are many thangka shops on Barkhor Street, the most famous one is the time-honored Snowland Thangka Handicraft Shop. In its heyday, the first car in Tibet was dismantled and transported into Tibet at the Himalayan Pass at the border between China and Nepal.

Barkhor Street Specialty Restaurants

Maggie Ami Restaurant: Maggie Ami has developed into a local Internet celebrity restaurant. It is located at the southeast corner of Barkhor Street. It is a restaurant that mainly serves Tibetan food, Indian food, and Nepali food. .

On the second floor of Maggie Ami, there are Tibetan singers performing at the bar. If you sit by the window, you can have a panoramic view of Barkhor Street.

Yanyu: This restaurant and bar is located on Barkhor Street. The decoration uses large pieces of wood as the main element. Sitting by the window, you can also overlook the crowds of people passing by on Barkhor Street.

Barkhor Street is a scenic spot integrating sightseeing, shopping, and food. During the day, Barkhor Street is bustling with people.

But Barkhor Street is also very charming. Whenever night falls and the lanterns first shine, scattered people are strolling on the street, and occasionally believers can be seen still worshiping.

The intoxicating music accompanied by various hawking sounds and the aroma of various snacks make people forget to leave.

Lhasa is a whole, and Barkhor Street is a part of Lhasa. The most secret wonders of Lhasa are hidden in the human-scale details.

On Barkhor Street, find a sweet tea house that you like, drink sweet tea, bask in the sun, and at the same time chat with the people around you.

Sweet tea culture has become an integral part of Lhasa, and you can see sweet tea houses hidden in some corners in the streets and alleys.

When you arrive at Barkhor Street, you can also go to a bookstore and "steal half a day's leisure" at the Paradise Time Travel Bookstore.

There are more and more cultural and creative places in the streets and alleys of Lhasa. Initially, these cultural and creative places were founded by "La Piao" from the mainland. I believe that many people will not be familiar with Da Bing and Da Bing's huts. strangeness.

The Paradise Time Travel Bookstore in Lhasa was founded by Lao Pan. It is not only a treasure trove of books about Tibet, but also a place for lazy tourists to relax.

Lhasa city is not big, and Barkhor Street is not big either, but it is enough for you to spend your short time here, but it will definitely be an impressive trip.

There are many things worth exploring in Barkhor Street. People, objects, and scenery all have meanings. The stories behind these things have a long history. If you want to understand them, you may need to spend your life studying and exploring them carefully.

Barkhor Street has a long history and rich religious culture. It is worthy of every visitor to Lhasa to visit and savor the life here.