When I first saw a photograph of Gyantse and its Dzong Fortress and huge protective wall, I could not believe that such a place existed.

Like something out of the pages from a fantasy book, Gyantse's history is equally enthralling.
In ages past, Tibet was very much a forbidden land, (which meant of course it was all the more enticing for those intent on visiting it).
The Dzong Fortress (constructed from 1390), was built to protect the Yarlung Tsangpo Valley and Lhasa. from foreign invasion.

During the course of the 19th Century, Britain was increasingly worried about Russia's intentions in asia and particularly India.
With Tibet closed to foreigners and tales being told of Russians holding sway in Lhasa, the British decided to take matters into their own hands and invaded Tibet in what was called "The British Expedition to Tibet".
Gyantse was the scene of fierce and one-side fighting with the British led by Francis Younghusband in 1903\04.
Once the Gyantse fortress was taken, the Tibetan forces capitulated because it was their long held belief that if the Gyantse Dzong was ever to be taken the future of the Tibetan people would then forever be subject to a foreign power.
It is interesting how prophetic that belief has become.