Tibet enjoys relatively close environment so it retains its original scenery and local customs. When travel to Tibet, people will find unique souvenirs in local market. Here are the top 5 souvenirs worth buying during your travels in Tibet.
1. Tibetan Knives 藏刀
Tibetan knives are excellent souvenirs for tourists. Tibetan Knives are inseparable ornaments for Tibetan people. They are mostly worn at the waist for cutting meat, self-defense or preventing animal attacks. Made from delicately processed steel, Tibetan knives are bright and sharp. The handle is made with cow horn or wood wound with silver, copper or iron threads. Some are carved with flower or animal design, or even inlaid with jewels. You can buy them in flea market or shops, their price ranges from several bucks to several hundreds.
2. Thangka 唐卡画
Thangka is a kind of religious scroll painting on the silk. The contents of Thangka involve Buddhas, folk tales, Tibetan myths and legends. It has a history of more than one thousand years and can be divided into embroidered Thangka, painted Thangka and other different types. An excellent Thangka often takes several months or more than half a year to make. Visitors can buy ready-made items or be made on order.
3. Tibetan Carpets 藏毯
Tibetan carpets are one of the world’s top three famous carpets. The hand-woven Tibetan carpets use materials like wool, cotton and sometimes yak hair and they are damp-proof, durable and exceptional insulators. The carpets are often small since they are mainly meant to be used in the homes and in the temples. You can use Tibetan carpets as chair cushions, mattresses, tapestries, pillow cases, back cushions, kettle covers and so on.
4. Tibetan Prayer Wheel 转经筒
There are various kinds of Tibetan prayer wheels made of bone, wood, copper or silver. The wheel often has thin papers printed with classic Buddhism sutra inside. Tibetans rotate their prayer wheels clockwise while murmuring the Buddhism sutra to pray for spiritual peace and happiness.
5. Tibetan Medicine 藏药
Tibetan medicine has a long history of over 2,000 years. Tibetan medicine is a practice with theory rooted in Buddhist philosophy and influenced by many different medical traditions. Therapies were used such as blood-letting, massage, using butter to stop bleeding, and using distillers’ grains from highland barley to treat wounds.
