Tibet Archaeology

and all things Tibetan

Sacred Geography

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

: The vastness of the northern Chang thang

: Father Thanglha and Mother Nam Tsho

: Pelzimphuk Monastery

: Walking to Horse Saddle

: Mount Tise from the middle of Lake La Ngak

: Frozen straits, ancient remains

: The heart of Zhang Zhung’s Warrior Queen

: The left eye of the goddess Dangra Lekyi Wangmoche

: Erecting prayer flags at the heart of Lake Nam Tsho

: Semo Do, the biggest island in Lake Nam Tsho

: A shrine for the goddess of Lake Mapang

: Father Targo and Mother Dangra

: The defile of Chuti, Guge

: A village on the sacred Lake Dangra

: The islands of Lake Darok

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

: En route to the Yellow Island

: Tise, Asia’s holiest mountain

: The fiery red cliffs of the Three Defenders

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.