Tibet is the most mysterious and inaccessible place on Earth. The beauty of the local vegetation and the diversity of animals are especially surprising. What is Tibet, and what is its history, read further in the article.
Complete Tibet Information
Tibet is rich in its history, as evidenced by the numerous sources of those times when the existence of the culture of Tibet occurred independently of other neighboring countries. The history of Tibet with detailed details has been known since the empire spread from Bengal to Mongolia.
We list the main historical milestones:
- The spread of Buddhism. This period falls on the reign of Songtsen Gampo, from 617 to 650. After the king’s death, power officially passes to the grandson, although the minister really ruled, which brought Buddhism into decline.
- The restoration of the teachings of the Buddha falls on 755-797. At this time, the texts of the Teaching were being translated into Tibetan, Samye University was being built at the monastery, which today is an important center of Buddhism.
- The construction of monasteries and temples, the introduction of monks in the administration of the country (from 815 to 838).
- The persecution of Buddhism, since the rule of the country is in the hands of King Landarma, a supporter of the Bon religion. Scientists and monks had to flee the country.
- The collapse of Tibet into small kingdoms. This happened after the death of Landarm, therefore, systematic historical information from 842 to 1247 is absent, since the ruler did not have heirs.
- Colonial interests in respect of Tibet from other countries. The culmination of their rivalry is the organization of the British expedition to Tibet in 1903-1904.
- Tibet proclaims itself an independent state from the influence of central authority in 1911, although this event was not recognized in the world.
- Chinese forces entered Tibet in 1950, as a result of which the power of the invaders was established in 17 points. The Chinese gradually increased their presence here, when, finally, in 1965, Tibet was proclaimed an autonomous region of China.
Location
Tibet is the only autonomous region of China. Tourists are attracted by its mystery and amazing beauty of nature. The indigenous people profess Buddhism, so thousands of pilgrims from all over the world regularly visit Tibet.
Where is Tibet located? The space from India to China occupies the Tibetan Plateau, the area of which reaches millions of kilometers. Tibet, located here, borders with many provinces and states: Nepal, India, Burma.
And to find out where Tibet is located, it is enough to recall the Himalayas and the highest mountain in the world - the Chomolungma, which has another name - Everest. Its height reaches 8, 848 m. To conquer this peak, tourists come here from all over the world.
By the way, it is the territory of Tibet that gives birth to many large rivers of Asia. Tsangpo begins his journey from the south, Sutley and Indus flow near the sacred Tibetan mountains Kailash, Salvin and Mekong originate from its eastern lands.
Climate
It is not difficult to understand when determining where Tibet is located - the climate of a territory located 4-8 thousand meters above sea level wants to be the best. It is characterized by specialists as a dry subtropical continental. This means that the weather here is unstable, it is characterized by frequent changes in temperature during the day and night.
Squally winds and dust storms are frequent guests in Tibet. Precipitation is also unpredictable: in different provinces their amount is different and insignificant. There is little rainfall because the height of the Himalayan ranges that prevent monsoon winds from the west, bringing heavy rains, prevents them from falling out here.
Population
Tibet is an autonomous region. Its territory is huge, but at the same time sparsely populated - 6 million Tibetans and 7.5 million Chinese live on it. Literacy of the local population is low and less than 50%.
The largest city in the region is Lhasa. Here are the main administrative and religious centers of Tibet. Other cities of industrial importance are located on the territory of the highlands: Chamdo, Shigatse and others.
Local residents are engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture. These are their main occupations. In the river valleys, they grow wheat, corn, barley, tobacco and vegetables. In addition, sheep, goats and yaks are bred here, which are used as draft force.
Vegetation
Tibet is a region on the territory of which sparse vegetation of deserts, steppes and tundra grows. Although there are forests too. Their places of growth are river valleys. Above 6, 000 m, eternal snows and glaciers extend.
The peculiarity of the vegetation of this wonderful land lies in its youth, since the flora of the ancient period was completely destroyed with the onset of the period of glaciation. This area is characterized by belt boundaries and variegation of vegetation inside them. Feather grass and sedge, mountain dweller and cobresia dwarf, willow and heather, gentian and many other plants grow here.
Animals
In the steppes, deserts and mountains of Tibet, rare animals such as Przhevalsky’s horse, two-humped camel, kulan, etc. have been preserved. This area is home to camels, yaks and donkeys, which belong to domestic animals. In the mountain forests there are a lot of deer, roe deer, elk, and in the desert - mountain sheep, antelopes, goats, snow leopards and other animals.
The steppes are full of saigas, gazelles, ground squirrels, groundhogs, jerboas, hares, gerbils, and field voles. The habitat of the gray wolf is the plains, and the red one is the mountains. Here foxes, columns, martens, ferrets, hedgehogs, lynxes, manulas are widespread. Tibet is characterized by the presence of many birds: snow vultures, mountain geese, jackdaws, etc.
Culture
The religion of ethnic Tibetans is the Bon religion and Buddhism. Since the time when Tibet became part of the Middle Kingdom, Chinese is the official language here. But paperwork and elementary school education are allowed in the Tibetan language. Since training is paid throughout the territory of the region, the majority of the population remains illiterate, since there is nothing to pay them.
When China finally extended its power to all of Tibet, the Heavenly Funeral ceremony was forbidden, which was observed for many centuries by the local population during the burial of the dead. But since 1974, at the numerous requests of monks and the common people, the Chinese government allowed this ceremony, which the Tibetans consider the only possible for their dead.
The monasteries in Tibet are controlled by the Chinese. For admission to them, selection criteria are established. Currently, almost all monasteries (95%) are destroyed or demolished. The reason for this is the inconsistency with the Chinese authorities during their construction.
But today in Tibet celebrations and festivals are magnificently celebrated, representing a vivid sight and attracting many tourists.
Tibet is a land rich in traditions and customs, the secrets of medicine and cuisine, stunningly beautiful landscapes and mystical holidays.
Tibetan cuisine
Tibet is a land of mysteries and ancient history that dates back to Buddhist monasteries. Therefore, the first place here is spiritual food. But, in any case, none of the tourists remains hungry. The main meal here is meat and vegetables, and a popular dish is mutton sausages and beef, dried in a special way.
Locals rarely eat sweet foods and fruits. Perhaps the only sweet in Tibet is brushwood, which is eaten with honey. Alcohol is considered to be a drink incompatible with prayers, so the Tibetans treat it with coolness. But weak rice wine is sold here.
The main dish is tsampa. For its preparation, egg flour, yak meat, barley beer and tea are used. By the way, tea in Tibet is drunk with the addition of oil and salt.
The menu for tourists, as a rule, includes dishes such as shadpu and churu - cheese based on egg milk. Hotels in large cities also prepare momo - a dish similar to Russian dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables, and tukpu - a soup with meat and noodles seasoned with vegetables.
How to get there
It is easy to get to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, if the place of departure is a large city in China. But tourists are better off following a different route in order to avoid sudden changes in altitude.
The most popular and gentle tourist route is this: the group leaves from Kunming, follows to Dali, and then to Liang. Height increases gradually. The last step is to fly by plane to the city of Lhasa.
From Beijing to the capital of Tibet can be reached by train, which follows the Qinghai railway for two days, as well as with an organized group, using road transport.
