Located in the extreme west part of Tibet, the ancient Guge Kingdom is an amazing place that few travelers get to experience. Guge, pronounced “Goo-Gay”, was established in the late 10th century near the modern day town of Zanda. For nearly 700 years, Guge was a major Buddhist religious center as well as an important trade hub between Tibet and Central Asia. Guge is divided into a few different areas all in and around the town of Zanda.
The most popular place is the Tsaparang Citadel, located 20 kilometers outside of town. Tsaparang is spectacular ruin set in an unreal badlands setting. The citadel is in ruin and is an intricate set of caves linging the base of a mountain. The top of the mountain have summer and winter palaces of the royal family that used to reside here. The entire area is unbelievable and spectacular in every way. Other parts of the Guge Kingdom are Tholing Monastery, Dungkar Village and the Piyang Caves.
