DBUS-GTSANG

one of three regions into which the area of Central Asia inhabited by Tibetans is traditionally divided. Dbus and Gtsang were provinces in the days of the early kings of central Tibet, c. 7th century. The area of Dbus encompassed the Skyid-chu valley system in which Lhasa is located, as well as the Yar-klungs and 'Phyong-rgyas valleys on the south side of the Brahmaputra River (now in India), which together were the ancient regions of the Tibetan royal court. West of Dbus was the province of Gtsang. Its area embraced several river valleys that converge with that of the Brahmaputra. Chief among these is the Nyang-Chu valley, which runs from the northwest to the southeast for over 150 mi (240 km) before it enters the Brahmaputra. The Nyang Chu flows past the fortress town of Gyangtse and past Zhikatse, the former administrative headquarters of Gtsang. During the 7th to the 9th centuries, the Tibetan kingdom was extended until it reached the Tarim Basin on the north, China on the east, India and Nepal on the south, and Kashmir on the west. The newly added dominions to the west were called Mnga'-ris and those to the east and northeast, Mdo-khams. This vast area marked the limits of the Tibetan empire before its collapse in the 9th century. Today the traditional region of Dbus-Gtsang is considered to stretch from Mnga'-ris skir-gsum at the border of Jammu and Kashmir to Sog-la skya-bo near the town of Sog (So-hsien), encompassing most of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (tzu-chih-ch') of China.