Potala Palace, Lhasa

Situated on the Red Hill of central Lhasa, Potala Palace is the ancient palace with the highest altitude in the world, reaching 3,767.19m (12,359.55ft) at the topmost point. It’s said that in the 7th century, to greet his bride Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) of China, the Tibet King Songtsen Gampo built the 9-storey Potala Palace with a thousand rooms. Later, the palace was almost destroyed in wars. The present one was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).