 | |
| Tibet Province | |
| Capital | Lhasa |
|---|---|
| Residents | 3.180.000 (2014) |
| surface | 1,228,400 km² |
| website | www.xizang.gov.cn/ |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | |
| location | |
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TibetChinese: 西藏自治区, Tibetan: བོད་ རང་སྐྱོང་ ལྗོངས །, bod rang skyong ljongs is located in the high Himalayan mountains, surrounded by the autonomous region Xinjiang and the province Qinghai in the north, the provinces Sichuan and Yunnan in the East. In the south the region borders on the states India, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal, in the west India.
Regions and places
- Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The most famous building is the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama
- The administrative district Xigazê is southwest of it.
- The administrative district Shannan in southern Tibet. Shannan is considered an interesting travel destination in the high mountain region. There are numerous cultural and historical sights to admire when visiting Shannan.
- Zêtang is the main town in the district
- Nyingchi is located in the southeast of Tibet. The main attractions of Nyingchi are its natural sights. Because of the magnificent and admirable landscapes, the region is known as "the Switzerland of Tibet".
- Bayi is the capital and, thanks to heavy immigration, is now the second largest city in Tibet
- Qamdo is in the east, the capital is the city of the same name. Special natural attractions of Qamdo are the beautiful sacred mountains and lakes.
- Nacqu is in the north with the capital of the same name. The region scores with its fantastic landscape and shows the typical Tibetan nomad life.
- Ngari in the west, the main town is Shiqanhe. Ngari is one of the most interesting travel destinations in Tibet. For example, the holy mountain Kailash is located in the sparsely populated region.
Other goals
- the Yamdrok Lake
- the Barkhor Street
- the Potala Palace
- Mount Kailash
- Manasarovar lake
- Basum Tso
- monastery Samding
- the silver castle in the Garuda Valley (Khyunglung Kulkhar) in western Tibet Ngari
- the administratively part of Sichuan Garzê Autonomous District of Tibetans
background
The highlands of Tibet, that roof of the world, occupies an area of 2.5 million km². A kingdom was established in this area in the 7th century. In 1240 it came under the rule of the Mongolian khans. In 1642 the government passed to the 5th Dalai Lama. In the 18th century, China gained strong political influence over the country. After the British Tibet campaign, Tibet was proclaimed an independent state against the will of China in 1913. A significant turning point came in 1950 when the Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet. In the turmoil of 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India. In the following years, too, there were repeated unrest, especially in Lhasa.
1965 became the former sphere of influence of the Dalai Lama to Tibet Autonomous Region explains that the region covers with 1.22 million km² about the western half of the former Tibetan cultural area. The eastern part covers practically the entire province Qinghai as well as parts of the Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.
language
Most of the residents speak only Tibetan. With Chinese you can get quite a long way in the larger cities - English, on the other hand, is usually only spoken by the tour guides.
getting there
Entry requirements
The Tibet Autonomous Region has been part of the People's Republic of China since 1959 and was created in its current form in 1965 as an administrative unit. For entry to China is needed next to the passport a visa. To travel to Tibet, however, you also need a separate entry permit (Tibet Travel Permit), which must also be carried at all times. The application for these papers can take a long time and some nationalities are sometimes rejected as a flat rate. Incidentally, a visa and a valid permit are not a guarantee of entry: If the situation changes, this can be refused despite all the papers.
You also need one for Tibet travel Guide, which you get assigned by a licensed Chinese tour operator (both group and individual trips have recently become possible). For trips to rural regions of Tibet (usually outside Lhasas) you need another permission, the Alien Travel Permit (This paper regulates in which area of Tibet one can stay). On the way you repeatedly come to checkpoints where the presence and validity of these papers are checked. The security forces in Tibet are very strict in this regard, which is why you should never give your documents out of hand or lose them!
Images and literature critical of the state are generally forbidden (this also includes the mere mention or illustration of the current Dalai Lama!). Problems can also arise with "small pictures" in the travel guide - in extreme cases, entry is refused!
By plane
The Lhasa Gonggar Airport located about 50 km southeast of Lhasa in Shannan Province; there are - besides flights to and from Kathmandu - only domestic flights from China. The airport is one of the most difficult in the world, which is why only two airlines fly it. If you are planning to take an airplane, you should definitely have acclimatized yourself at higher altitudes beforehand, as otherwise your circulatory system may collapse when you get out and the associated sudden drop in pressure.
By train
The Lhasa Railway connects Lhasa about Golmud after Xining and further after Lanzhou (For more see the related article).
Car / bus
Traveling by car is very difficult and takes at least three days to Lhasa. It is not possible to drive at night, the roads are in very poor condition and the climatic conditions are extreme. Due to the altitude and cold, you can only drive with diesel vehicles, but they still lose most of their performance.
One possibility of driving is from Kathmandu, 1,400 m high, above the Arniko Highway to the border to Kodari. The first Tibetan place Zhangmu lies at an altitude of 2,500 m. Already the first pass on the Friendship Highway in the direction of Lhasa leads to an altitude of over 5,000 m, so that the risk of altitude sickness is high here too.
Trekking
Trekking is possible, but only advisable for absolute professionals due to the extreme conditions. There are two routes from Simikot; through the Karnali valley or through the Limni valley you reach the Hilsa border crossing. Trekking time about a week (this also gives you a good acclimatization to the altitude). The crossing is only open to pedestrians, you can enter via a suspension bridge. Here the first Chinese controls, then one is driven in jeeps to Purang, where a thorough passport and baggage check is carried out.
Tourist Attractions
Significant monasteries, temples and palaces are:
- Potala Palace, in Lhasa.
- Jokhang, in Lhasa.
- Norbulingka, in Lhasa.
- Tashilhunpo, in Xigazê.
- South monastery, in Sa'gya.
- Pälkhor Chöde, in Gyangzê.
Scenic features are:
- The Himalayas. With its snow-capped peaks.
- numerous pass heights and viewpoints
- Yarlung Zangbo. And other rivers.
- Yamdrok Lake
- Lake Manasarovar
kitchen
Not necessarily known for its own distinctive character, but Tibetan cuisine differs in many ways from that of neighboring countries India or NepalIn the course of the occupation of Tibet by the Chinese in 1950, six million Chinese immigrants have come to the country to date, in contrast to three million Tibetans, which of course also brought culinary influences with it. Tibetan cuisine is strongly influenced by neighboring countries. For centuries, Tibet has been in close cultural contact with Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh and Northern Nepal and imports vegetables, spices, but also types of preparation from these countries. Due to the rugged nature of the Himalayan state, regulated agriculture is only practiced in places. Wherever possible, mainly apples, pears, peaches and apricots are grown, as well as barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, soybeans and potatoes for personal consumption. Chicken meat is rarely consumed for religious reasons; yak meat is preferred.
Belongs to traditional Tibetan cuisine Tsampa, it consists of roasted and ground barley. Usually you pour it over with Butter tea or just with tea and mix the mass with your fingers. The famous butter tea is made by mixing tea with yak butter and salt so that it tastes more like a broth than black tea. Yak cheese is one of the typical foods Chura, a crumbly hard cheese that is often soaked for hours before consumption. The taste of products made from yak milk is a bit strange to Europeans, and it makes sense to try only small quantities first. This also applies to chhaang, a weakly alcoholic drink.
Arts and Culture
Cultural monuments
The Tibetan Buddhism produced a wealth of temples and monasteries, which are among the most important cultural monuments in the country. There are also a few more Chorten (Stupas) as objects of worship Important secular structures are primarily the fortresses, Dzong called, since the time of Lamaism they have often been subordinate to monasteries. Most of the buildings were damaged or even completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Attempts have been made for a number of years to restore this country's cultural heritage, even if it usually no longer fulfills its original purpose. A typical example is that Potala Palacewhich has been converted to a museum.
Handicrafts
In Tibet, in addition to the precious metals gold and silver, precious stones are also very popular, the frequent use of turquoise, amber and coral shows that the country is quite isolated on a high plateau, but that there was lively trade with neighboring countries. They are special Dzi stones, they often consist of agates, which have an interesting structure of lines or points. When buying gemstones you should either be very knowledgeable, go to a reputable store or do the whole thing from the point of view souvenir consider and risk buying a cheap fake.
As pictures are Thangkas, Scroll paintings, popular art objects. Your motives are common Mandalas, that too Wheel of life or venerable figures from religion and history.
Climate and travel time
The geographic location of Tibet is extreme. Framed between the highest mountains in the world at an average altitude of over 4,000 m, the climate is relatively low in precipitation, the winters are very cold. The best travel time is between May and October, although there can be significant rainfall in the summer months of July and August. The sun shines an average of 8 hours a day, the light is quite bright and intense, and sun protection is an absolute necessity due to the high proportion of UV. After sunset, however, the air quickly cools down again, and the evenings become very cool. Most of the hotels have no heating, and the temples and other buildings are also quite fresh. T-shirt, sweater and windbreaker belong in your luggage. Closed walking shoes are recommended, the paths are not always good.
health
The biggest problem for most visitors is that Altitude sickness, against which one is only slightly immune as a flatland inhabitant. On the one hand, the air pressure is much lower at high altitudes than in the lowlands, and the higher the altitude, the lower the concentration of atmospheric oxygen. You have to breathe more often for the same amount of air and still get less oxygen (the consequences are described in detail in the article Rockclimbing). The question is how to plan a trip to the roof of the world in order to counteract altitude sickness in advance: It is best to acclimatize well in advance by slowly climbing to the appropriate heights and staying there for some time.
You cannot avoid the dangers of altitude, but you can reduce the risks through your own behavior. It is important to always remember to drink plenty of water, exert yourself as little as possible and under no circumstances consume alcohol or coffee! The body excretes more fluids than in the lowlands, and the air you breathe is drier. On the first day after arrival, you should avoid further excursions, use the time to acclimatise and, if possible, not shower at first, in order to avoid a circulatory collapse. The dry air also irritates the mucous membranes, sensitive people should think of nasal sprays, a grease stick against dry lips should also be in the luggage.
If you have symptoms of altitude sickness (especially headache and / or nausea), you should consult a doctor, who is often available around the clock at the hotel. There are also oxygen bottles to buy / rent everywhere that you can use, but of course this does not replace physical adjustment. It is advisable to take precautionary measures and to take medication against altitude sickness with you - a tropical doctor can prescribe you these, and you should consult before the trip anyway.
In many cases, the psychological attitude towards altitude also plays a major role. Anxiety is not a good advisor, but health problems that arise should not be suppressed either: If possible symptoms have not subsided after the first few days, an early departure must be considered, otherwise the situation can worsen.
Political situation and rules of conduct
The situation in Tibet remains very tense. The population is under constant military control and is severely suppressed: their basic rights are severely curtailed, which is expressed, among other things, in the fact that they do not have a passport (and therefore are not allowed to leave Tibet) or they have no right to freedom of expression (es it is strictly forbidden to just mention the current Dalai Lama or even to spread pictures of him). Violations are severely punished (often including torture or the death penalty). For this reason, as a tourist, you should avoid speaking to locals about political issues or otherwise embarrassing them, as well as introducing similar writings yourself.
The police and military presence in Tibet is enormous: on almost every street corner there are heavily armed security forces, some of them armored vehicles. The Buddhist pilgrims are flanked every few meters by groups of three soldiers who are armed with batons, machine guns and "human catchers". In every temple there is a military post who, despite the holy places, consciously wears his headgear. The cities are paved with police stations and surveillance cameras and partly consist of barracks. As a foreigner, it is important to never take photos of facilities, vehicles or people related to the military or the police - this can lead to the immediate withdrawal of the camera and even to expulsion! You should also be prepared to have to pass security checks very often (when entering the city center, a public building or temple complex).
literature
- ; Stefan Loose Travel Manuals (Ed.): Tibet. Ostfildern: DuMont travel publisher, 2011 (2nd edition), ISBN 9783770161720 ; 360 pages.
- ; Malik National Geographic (Ed.): Kailash: Tibet's sacred mountain. Malik National Geographic, 2010, ISBN 3492404057 (ISBN-10) (German).
- : The Silver Palace of Garuda: The Discovery of Tibet's Last Secret. Malik National Geographic, 2009, ISBN 978-3492403566 (ISBN-13) (German). Silver Palace in the Garuda Valley
- : Tibet - History, Art and Myths. Müller publishing house, 2004, ISBN 9783898932400 .
- : Travel with the Tibet Railway - from Beijing to Lhasa. cybertours, 2008, ISBN 9783940777034 .
- : Tibet - Lamaistic monastery culture, nomadic ways of life ... on the roof of the world. DuMont Art Publishing, 1999, ISBN 9783770148035 .
- : Tibet - traveling on the roof of the world. Trescher Verlag, 2010 (2nd edition), ISBN 9783897941519 .
Web links
- http://www.xizang.gov.cn/ - Tibet Autonomous Region official website
- official website of the Tibetan government in exile
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