Potala Palace is the most famous site in Lhasa. The former residence of the Dalai Lama, the palace is actually a complex of palaces, chapels and galleries built at different times. Construction of the palace was begun in 1645 by the 5th Dalai Lama. The current Dalai Lama, the 14th, lived in Potala Palace until 1959, when he escaped Tibet. It is now a tourist attraction.

