Tibetan

The Tibetan group stretches from Kham and Amdo in the east to Ladakh in the west and Bhutan in the south. Its peoples speak Tibetic languages, are thought to descend from the ancient Qiang, and follow Tibetan Buddhism or the native Bon faith.

In the seventh century Songtsen Gampo founded the Tibetan Empire, which reached Chang'an. After its collapse the region was divided among monasteries and noble houses. The Sakya school ruled under the Yuan from the thirteenth century, and Changchub Gyaltsen's Phagmodrupa dynasty replaced it in 1354. In 1642 Güshi Khan placed the Fifth Dalai Lama of the Gelug school at the head of Tibet.