The Potala palace (པོ་ཏ་ལ – 布达拉宫) was built during the time of Songtsan Gampo in the 7th century. In the 17th century the 5th Dalai Lama extended the palace to it’s present size, he also made it into his residence as well as the main political and religious center of Tibet, which it has remained until today. The palace actually consists of two main buildings, the red palace and the white palace. It is 116 meters high with thirteen stories. This space includes living quarters, temples, funeral stupas and monk dormitories. The palace contains countless cultural relics such as images, murals, and sutras and are priceless in value.
