History of Tibet

Tibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of Buddhism in Tibet. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of Tibetan, Mongol, and Manchu cultures, and partly because almost all native historians of the country were Buddhist monks. The study of Tibetan history has advanced very quickly in recent years. This has been due to four main factors: the discovery of many impor... more

Tibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of Buddhism in Tibet. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of Tibetan, Mongol, and Manchu cultures, and partly because almost all native historians of the country were Buddhist monks. The study of Tibetan history has advanced very quickly in recent years. This has been due to four main factors: the discovery of many important ancient Tibetan texts in Dunhuang and other sites around the Taklamakan desert providing the means to check and date many events which previously were only remembered in often undated entries in religious and legendary accounts; the diaspora of Tibetan monks and other scholars scholars and literature with a resultant rapid increase in many countries of interest in Tibetan history with the Tibetan experts available to explain and make them meaningful; the determination amongst the diaspora of Tibetan exiles to preserve and disseminate... less