"Roof Top of the World" suggests not only Tibet's extreme altitude but also the isolation, which has contributed to the creation of its unique culture. Its lofty perch high above the hurly-burly of the lowlands has shaped its unique spiritual attitudes and discouraged even hardy colonists from establishing a foothold. At an average elevation of 5.000 m (15,000 ft) above sea level, a vast high desert plateau hemmed by the two ranges of the world's highest mountains, the principal geographic determinants which have shaped the Tibetans are those of the desert. Austerity, pragmatism, tenacity, independence, piety, diligence, cohesive families, xenophobia, occasional fierceness, taciturnity and shyness are the qualities and values, which have resulted.

Early Origins - Legend has it that the ocean once covered Tibet, an interesting concordance with geologic induce which has Tibet lapped by the sea before the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Asian mainland and pushed Tibet to its present dizzying heights. In the Yarlung Valley, south-east of Lhasa, the briny waters receded revealing two of the most unlikely candidates for a marriage; a monkey and a fierce ogress. Opposed to Western belief, the monkey represents not mischief but wisdom. Buddhism, which did not make its appearance until eons later, regarded him as the manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Mercy, Avalokiteshwara (Chenrezi). The Ogress was a wretched figure given to howling from the treetops. Her ostracism was probably due to her cruel, crude nature but Avalokiteshwara took pity on her and the couple produced six offspring. With time, the children lost all simian characteristics to become the Tibetan race. Tibet's first monarch was a stranger who appeared one day in the Yarlung Valley. When Tibetans asked where he came from, he pointed over his shoulder to indicate India. The awe-struck Tibetans thought he meant he had descended from the sky and promptly made him king.

First Emperor - The 33rd king of the Yarlung line, Songtsengampo (AD 620-650), was the first ruler to be recorded in history, simply because it was he who introduced a written script for the Tibetan language. During Songtsengampo's reign, Tibet not only initiated trade contacts with China, India, Nepal and the lands to the west, but also began expanding its borders. The Chinese and Nepalese sought to curtail imperial ambitions by creating alliances sealed with that all-purpose diplomatic glue; marriage. China dispatched Princess Wencheng and from Nepal came Princess Tritsun who joined the king's three Tibetan wives. The pair of queens brought with them a new religion, Buddhism.

Buddhism Established - Trisong Detsen (AD 755-797) continued the work of his predecessor, expanding Tibet's borders to incorporate major portions of Central Asia thus making Tibet nearly twice as large as it is today. During his reign, interest in Buddhism revived. Two famed Indian Buddhists teachers, Padmasambhava (also revered as Guru Rinpoche) and Santarakshita, were invited to establish Tibet's first Buddhist monastery. A handsome edifice rose from the sands of Samye in the Yarlung Valley; here the first Tibetan Buddhist monks were trained and ordained. To promote the religion, Trisong Detsen ordered noble families to support the monasteries, a decree repellent to Bon-worshippers, which ultimately sowed the seeds for Buddhism's demise.

Atisha Arrives - In 1042, a famed Mahayana teacher, Atisha, journeyed from India to lecture in western Tibet at the invitation of one of its kings. Under his tutelage, Buddhism began a slow climb back to its former prominence. Like the scattered kingdoms, Buddhism functioned as a patch-work of diverse doctrines with nearly 20 distinct sects, each isolated from the other. Eventually, four principal orders emerged and vied for pre-eminence; the Nyingmapa, Kagyudpa, Sakyapa and Kadampa (which later evolved into the Gelugpa). In 1247, the Mongols appointed a Sakya Monastery scholar, Sakya Pundit, as the ruler of Tibet thereby establishing the monastery as a centre of Tibetan power. Sakya continued to provide the nation's leaders until 1354 when they were overthrown. In the melee that followed, no single sect was able to assert control and once again the country disintegrated into warring factions.

The Glorious Fifth - Seeking to wield political influence, the powerful Gelugpa abbot of Drepung, Sonam Gyatso, turned to the Mongols for support. The Mongols responded by naming him the Dalai Lama and giving him authority over the whole of Tibet. They established thus the U (Central) region around Lhasa as the government for the country and created an institution of religious political leaders, which has survived to this day. Aside from a brief resurgence of Nyingmapa rule in the mid- 17th century, the U region hees held the reins of power since.The next great historical figure was the fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682), a Gelugpa abbot often referred to as the Great Fifth. A formidable leader and a visionary, he ruled a realm that encompassed a territory from Mount Kailas to the Kham region. On Lhasa's Red Hill where Songtsengampo had built his palace, he began the construction of a massive citadel that would serve both as an administrative and a religious centre; the Potala. So large was the Great Fifth's influence in unifying the country and so competent and cohesive the band of administrators he assembled, that when he died in 1682 his death was kept secret for 12 years until the completion of the Potala. The Great Game - By the turn of the century, Tibet had acquired new significance in Western, notably British eyes. Britain became concerned that Russia was concluding a Tibetan alliance. This was viewed as detrimental to British interests in the Great Game being played out over territorial control of Central Asia. Accordingly, the British marched into Tibet to force a treaty upon the Dalai Lama. The expedition, led by Col. Francis Younghusband in 1904, met token resistance south of Gyantse. Displaying a singular lack of judgment, the British soldiers opened fire, killing 700 Tibetans within minutes. They acquired their treaty but alarmed the Chinese who tightened their hold over the country. The overthrow of the Manchus in 1911 stalled Chinese ambitions in Tibet while it dealt with its own internal problems. At the Simla Conference of 1914, the Tibetans tried to assert their independence but were rebuffed by the British who granted them autonomy under Chinese overlordship, an arrangement that pleased neither party. In 1949, the Communists took power in China and near the top of their agenda was the incorporation of Tibet into Chinese polity. In 1950, Chinese armies invaded eastern Tibet, overcoming fierce resistance. In 1951, they granted Tibet autonomy in domestic affairs but garrisoned troops there.

Dalai Lama Fleas - Chinese occupation chafed and in 1956, political agitation against their presence began. Chinese soldiers took over Lhasa and confrontations escalated. In 1959, having been invited to Beijing to what he suspected would be house arrest, the Dalai Lama fled to India, eventually taking up residence in Dharmasala. From this base he has for 30 years provided guidance to expatriate Tibetan communities spread throughout India and the world and to Tibetans in Tibet who continue to revere him. After 1960, the Chinese policy was to suppress Tibetan institutions, eradicating all symbols of the past. Much of the destruction of monasteries began after 1959 with images and artefacts sold in the antique markets of Hong Kong or melted down to pad Beijing's coffers. In 1965, the Chinese established Tibet as an Autonomous Region ruled by Beijing. At the same time, they carved away portions of its territory, creating the province of Xizang and adding land to existing Chinese provinces. The Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 was particularly harsh on Tibetans. Systematic persecution reportedly killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and senseless destruction of the religious sites reduced monasteries from 2.463 in 1959 to 10 by 1976. According to a Chinese estimate. Recognizing the excesses of these years and as partial atonement for the damage, since 1980, the Chinese have restored many of the old monasteries and trained Tibetan artists to create new Buddha images. They have also relaxed many of the restrictions, giving Tibetans a greater hand in planning their own lives though periodic military crackdowns continue to threaten their limited freedom.