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| Sacred Tibetan monastery in Lhasa hit by fire | Sacred Tibetan monastery in Lhasa hit by fire |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| A fire has hit the most important shrine in Tibetan Buddhism - the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa. | |
| Footage posted online showed flames billowing from the roof and what appeared to be at least one gutted pagoda. No casualties were reported. | |
| Chinese state media said the blaze started on Saturday evening and was soon put out. | |
| The extent of damage to the sprawling compound is unclear. State media said there was no damage to cultural relics. | The extent of damage to the sprawling compound is unclear. State media said there was no damage to cultural relics. |
| Tibet, the remote and mainly Buddhist territory known as the "roof of the world", is governed as an autonomous region of China. | |
| The Jokhang monastery is more than 1,000 years old and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. | The Jokhang monastery is more than 1,000 years old and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. |
| Streets near the monastery reopened to pilgrims on Sunday morning, state media said. | |
| Reports say that Chinese authorities quickly tried to block footage and images of the fire appearing on social media. | Reports say that Chinese authorities quickly tried to block footage and images of the fire appearing on social media. |
| Beijing maintains tight control of news reports from Tibet, where Buddhist sites have been a focal point for separatist unrest in the past. | Beijing maintains tight control of news reports from Tibet, where Buddhist sites have been a focal point for separatist unrest in the past. |
| Foreign journalists are not able to enter Tibet without special permission. | |
| Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser told AFP she was "very worried" about the state of the monastery. | |
| "Tibetans consider Lhasa to be a sacred place, but Jokhang is a sacred place within that sacred place - the most sacred in all of Tibet," she said. | |
| "Some people say it's only because of Jokhang that the holy city of Lhasa exists at all." | |
| "No matter where they are in the world, Tibetans all wish to come to Lhasa to pray at Jokhang; it's the wish of a lifetime. Many who make pilgrimage to Lhasa prostrating do so just to visit the temple," she added. | |
| The fire comes as Tibetans celebrate Losar, their traditional new year, which began on Friday. | The fire comes as Tibetans celebrate Losar, their traditional new year, which began on Friday. |
| Tibet has had a tumultuous history, during which it has spent some periods functioning as an independent entity and others ruled by powerful Chinese and Mongolian dynasties. | Tibet has had a tumultuous history, during which it has spent some periods functioning as an independent entity and others ruled by powerful Chinese and Mongolian dynasties. |
| China sent in thousands of troops to enforce its claim on the region in 1950. Some areas became the Tibetan Autonomous Region and others were incorporated into neighbouring Chinese provinces. | China sent in thousands of troops to enforce its claim on the region in 1950. Some areas became the Tibetan Autonomous Region and others were incorporated into neighbouring Chinese provinces. |
| China says Tibet has developed considerably under its rule. | China says Tibet has developed considerably under its rule. |
| But rights groups say China continues to violate human rights, accusing it of political and religious repression - something Beijing denies. | But rights groups say China continues to violate human rights, accusing it of political and religious repression - something Beijing denies. |