Shigatse or Rikaze is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, with a population of 80,000, about 250 km southwest of Lhasa and 90 km northwest of Gyantse. It is the administrative centre of modern Xigazê County in the Xigazê Prefecture, a region of Tibet. The city is located at an altitude of 3,840 metres at the confluence of the Yarlung Zangbo (aka Brahmaputra) and Nianchuhe (Nyang Chu) rivers in west Tibet and was the ancient capital of Ü-Tsang province. It is also the name of the surrounding county. Shigatse contains the huge Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas.
