Tibet Archaeology

and all things Tibetan

Sacred Geography

: En route to the Yellow Island

: Father Thanglha and Mother Nam Tsho

: Semo Do, the biggest island in Lake Nam Tsho

: Walking to Horse Saddle

: A village on the sacred Lake Dangra

: The heart of Zhang Zhung’s Warrior Queen

: Erecting prayer flags at the heart of Lake Nam Tsho

: The islands of Lake Darok

: Tise, Asia’s holiest mountain

: Father Targo and Mother Dangra

: The fiery red cliffs of the Three Defenders

: Pelzimphuk Monastery

: Mount Tise from the middle of Lake La Ngak

: The Zhang Zhung mountain and lake of Tang Gung and Mating Tingmo

: A shrine for the goddess of Lake Mapang

: Frozen straits, ancient remains

: The vastness of the northern Chang thang

: The defile of Chuti, Guge

: The left eye of the goddess Dangra Lekyi Wangmoche

: Crossing a huge expanse of ice with upwards of 300 m of water below

Scholar, explorer, writer and pilgrim John Vincent Bellezza is widely recognized as one of the foremost specialists in the archaeology and ancient cultural history of Tibet. He has lived in the high Himalaya for over a quarter of a century. Explore these pages for information about his work.

A senior research fellow at the Tibet Center, University of Virginia, Dr. Bellezza has written extensively on the nomads, history and culture of Upper Tibet. A pioneer in his field, he is credited with the discovery of hundreds of pre-Buddhist archaeological sites, describing the monuments and the people that built them in great detail. The Iron Age civilization he has charted is associated with Zhang Zhung, Tibet’s fabled ancient kingdom and source of much of her culture.