Overview
The Potala Palace crowns Marpo Ri (Red Hill) in the centre of the Lhasa Valley, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, at roughly 3,700 metres elevation. Tradition associates the hill with Songtsen Gampo (7th century), who built a palace for his marriage alliances; the present monumental complex largely reflects the 17th-century reconstruction under the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, with major expansion continuing under the Thirteenth Dalai Lama.
The White Palace (Phodrang Karpo) contains the Dalai Lama's residential and administrative quarters; the Red Palace (Phodrang Marpo) houses chapels, stupas of successive Dalai Lamas, and assembly halls dense with murals, thangkas, and gilded tombs. The building integrates fortress walls, sloping stone foundations, and timber superstructure engineered for seismic and alpine conditions.
The UNESCO Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (1994, extended 2000–2001) also includes Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka summer palace. The Potala remains among the most photographed monuments in Asia and a focal point of Tibetan cultural identity.