Tibet Archaeology

and all things Tibetan

Sacred Geography

: The defile of Chuti, Guge

: En route to the Yellow Island

: A village on the sacred Lake Dangra

: The vastness of the northern Chang thang

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

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

: The left eye of the goddess Dangra Lekyi Wangmoche

: The fiery red cliffs of the Three Defenders

: Erecting prayer flags at the heart of Lake Nam Tsho

: Father Thanglha and Mother Nam Tsho

: Tise, Asia’s holiest mountain

: Semo Do, the biggest island in Lake Nam Tsho

: Walking to Horse Saddle

: A shrine for the goddess of Lake Mapang

: Mount Tise from the middle of Lake La Ngak

: The heart of Zhang Zhung’s Warrior Queen

: The islands of Lake Darok

: Father Targo and Mother Dangra

: Frozen straits, ancient remains

: Pelzimphuk Monastery

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.