DRUKGYEL DZONG

Going up the valley to the north, you can see the ruins of the Drukyel Dzong, "the dzong of the victorious drukpa", attributed to the Shabdung, standing on the crest of a hill. He had it built in 1649 to commemorate his victory over the Tibetan army and to protect the northwestern border of the country. Devastated in 1950 by a fire started by a butter lamp, it was not rebuilt and remains so. From the top of the ramparts, one can see the imposing summit of Jomolhari (7,314 m), a sacred mountain, protected by the Bhutanese who forbid any expedition there.