Brief information on Barkhor Street  

Located in the downtown area of the old Lhasa city, Barkhor Street is a quadrangle-shaped bustling bazaar surround Jokhang Temple.  The street dates back to the year 647, and Jokhang Temple was built by order of Tibet’s first king, Songtsen Gampo.  In order to supervise the slaves, Songtsen Gampo and his ministers moved to Barkhor Street and residing in the area surrounding Jokhang Temple.  Gradually, more and more Buddhist pilgrims came in order to pray and, as a result, Barkhor Street came into being. Numerous Tibetan Buddhists pilgrimages make their way here, holding prayer wheels and chanting prayers and prostrating themselves clockwise around the street at the end of their journey to the sacred Jokhang Temple.

In addition to its important place in Buddhism, Barkhor Street is also a business centre with merchants from many different countries. There is also a residential zone here of which Tibetan people are especially proud. The street is an ideal place to select your souvenirs.  The shops and stores here sell a great variety of goods and products, such as prayer flags, prayer wheels, Tibetan paintings, temple bowls, bells, Buddhist statues, leather goods, clothing, accessories (earrings, necklaces, Bangles and purses, just for starters ), incense and Tibetan carpets. A visit to Barhor Street is certainly educational with regards to Tibetan people and the religious culture that pervades.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Barkhor Street if you plan to visit Barkhor Street and have language problems.