Barkhor Street---Famous Tibet Lhasa Downtown Attraction
Located in the heart of Lhasa is the popular Barkhor Street.
The Barkhor Street market is a must see cultural highlight for tourism in Tibet, comprising of a series of circular streets that encompass the Jokhang temple along with numerous merchants and vendors offering a wide variety of local Tibetan arts, crafts, and tasty cuisines. It is at the Jokhang Temple where the traditions of Tibetan buddhism can be observed by the sound of chanting sutras and the spinning of prayer wheels as local Tibetans day and night can be seen performing routine pilgrimages and prostrations around the Bazaar. The Barkhor Bazaar offers a vast combination of Tibetan culture in both arts and religion proudly earning its reputation as the “Window of Tibet”.
The Barkhor street market provides tourist a pivotal insight in multiple aspects of Tibetan culture by the vast assortments of authentic Tibetan products easily available to purchase at the visitors discretion. The Barkhor market is constantly alive and thriving with activity as the countless vendors and shops present a utopia of local Tibetan arts, crafts and cultural specialties. If its serenity you seek, the Barkhor street market also provides a rather large assortment of local religious articles of faith such as; Buddhist Thangkas, statues, prayer wheels, butter lamps, incense, beads and more. A wide selection of Tibetan housewares and accessories can also be observed and purchased at Barhor Market such as; cushions aprons, leather bags, handmade quilts and carpets, knives, hats, and local style dishware. Whether your taste ventures on extraordinary or souvenir, Barkor market has something of Tibetan culture for every shopper’s preference.
In addition to the extravagant shopping opportunities and the traditional displays of Tibetan Buddhism, the Barkhor Bazzar also has great historical reverence. Such history can be best described by exploring the previous Lhasa Yamen building as well as the office of the late Lhasa magistrate, both located in the heart of the Bazzar. It is also in the Barkhor Bazaar where you can venture down the oldest street in Lhasa, home to an old three story temple remains that is said to be the origin of early Tibetan calligraphy.