Gyantse Dzong

Gyantse Dzong - the fortress - makes a great first impression of Gyantse arriving on the Friendship Highway from the east	The hilltop fortress at Gyantse dominates the flag valley around it	Dzong is Tibetan (and Bhutanese) for fortress	Gyantse Dzong (14th C.)
Gyantse Dzong was built in the 14th Century	The British invading from India seized Gyantse Dzong in 1904 and held it for a month	Monument to the People's Heroes, Gyantse	Gyantse Dzong
The 1903-1904 British invasion of Tibet was part of the "Great Game" holding back the expasion of the Russian Empire	Had the British stayed, Tibet could possibly have had a very different 20th Century history	500 Tibetan defenders held off the vastly superior British forces for several days earning Gyantse the title "Hero City"	Gyantse Dzong fell to the British on July 6, 1904
Gyantse Dzong suffered again during the Chinese Peaceful Liberation of Tibet in 1954	...and what was left in tact after 1954 fell victim to the Cultural Revolution	The exterior of Gyantse Dzong has been nicely restored, but the interior is lacking	Gyantse Dzong
Gyantse Dzong, high above the old town	Gyantse Dzong from the west	Distant view of Gyantse Dzong from the north	North face of Gyantse Dzong
Gyantse Dzong from the ridge to the north	North face of Gyantse Dzong	North face of Gyantse Dzong	Gyantse Dzong in the evening from the Monument to the People's Heroes
Gyantse Dzong	The road up to Gyantse Dzong	Driving up to Gyantse Dzong from the northeast	I'm not sure if the Monument to the People's Heroes refers to 1904 or 1954
Tourist vehicles can drive up to the entrance of Gyantse Dzong	Gyantse Dzong	Gyantse Dzong from the parking area	There's still more climbing to do to reach the upper levels of the fortress
Chinglish - "This place danger, Take a devious route"	Diorama of life in the fortress, Gyantse Dzong	Gyantse Dzong	Partially restored interior, Gyantse Dzong
Gyantse Dzong	The red layer helps cushion the stone structure against earthquakes	Few southeast from Gyantse Dzong	View south from Gyantse Dzong
Harvest time in the fields west of Gyantse Dzong	Rather than face capture, some of the 1904 defenders jumped off the cliff	View north from Gyantse Dzong to the Tibetan old town and Pelkor Chöde Monatery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery seen from Gyantse Dzong
Gyantse's Tibetan old town, western half	Temple near the top of Gyantse Dzong	The upper levels of Gyantse Dzong	The steep staircase down from the top
Gyantse Dzong	I chose to walk down the stairs leading to Heroes Park	Path to Heroes Park	Gyantse Dzong from the base of the hill
Gyantse Dzong from the base of the trail