Situated on Marpo Ri hill, 430 feet (130 meters) above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 560 feet (170 meters) and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. As the winter palace of the Dalai Lama from the 7th century the complex symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet.

The construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694. The Potala Palace remained the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, after the Chinese invasion in 1959. T oday, the Potala Palace is a museum.

The White Palace contains the main ceremonial hall with the throne of the Dalai Lama, and his private rooms and audience hall are on the uppermost level. The palace contains 698 murals, almost 10,000 painted scrolls, numerous sculptures as well as a large collection of important historical documents. To the west and higher up the mountain the Red Palace contains the golden burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas.