Tsetang

Tsetang or Zedang, is the fourth largest city in Tibet and is located in the Yarlung Valley, southeast of Lhasa in Nedong District of the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet region of China. It is the capital of Shannan Prefecture (which is also referred to as "Shannan City"). Tsetang has been the capital of the Yarlung region since antiquity and was the seat of the ancient emperors of Tibet and, as such, a place of great importance. In the 19th century, it is said to have comprised some 1,000 houses, a bazaar, a gompa and a fort. As the capital of Shannan, it is the second-largest settlement in the historical Ü-Tsang region. It lies at an elevation of above sea level and has a population of approximately 52,000 persons. It is only about to the northeast of the town of Nedong and they have now essentially merged into one city. Tsetang is situated near the flank of Mount Gongbori where many ancient ruins (such as ruins of Gajiu Monastery) are located. It is known as the cradle of Tibetan's civilization. Samye, Tibet's first monastery, is located only from Tsetang and was founded in 779 CE by King Trisong Detsen.